Where I Belong
by InuYume88
Summary: CANON. Kagome finds her way back to Inuyasha and they try to figure out where to take their relationship. Things aren't as easy as they want, but their feelings for each other are too strong to ignore.
1. Chapter 1 - Back from the future

A/N: Hello everyone! Here's my second fic, I hope you like it. I'll try to make the chapters a little longer and I'm not sure how this canon will turn out like, but, again, I hope I stay truthful to the characters we all love. Please let me know what you think, constructive criticism is always welcome!

 **Chapter 1 – Back to the future**

Kagome woke up and rolled on her back. She stared at the ceiling, with a numb expression on her face, without thinking about anything. She was just staring at the ceiling.

Her alarm clock hadn't ring yet and she didn't bother looking at it, to know what time it was. She didn't care and she knew her mother would come to wake her up when it was time. That happened an hour after she woke up.

"Kagome, dear, you're already awake? It's time to go to school", her mom said, opening the door.

"Yes, mama. I'll be down in a minute."

Mrs. Higurashi gave her a sad smile and closed the door.

Kagome sighed and, reluctantly, got up. She went to the bathroom, put her uniform on and went downstairs.

She went straight to the front door, saying bye to her mother, who was in the kitchen.

"Kagome, aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I'm not hungry, mama. Bye."

She left without giving her mother a chance to reply.

Making her way to school, she didn't notice her surroundings, just looking down and walking slowly. Arriving at the school gates, she met her three best friends, who all looked at her worryingly.

"Hey Kagome! Are you excited? It's our last exam!", Yuka said, trying to cheer her up.

"Yes, we are graduating, Kagome! Come on, you could at least smile!", Eri said.

"Sorry guys… I'm just not in the mood. But yes, we are graduating, that's great", she said, unenthusiastically, giving them a fake smile.

The three friends sighed. "Kagome… what's wrong? Are you still upset over your breakup? It's been three years, it's time to move on. Your ex is probably with someone else already", Ayumi said. Eri and Yuka stared at her with wide eyes. "What? Maybe that's a good thing. If he is and you knew that, maybe that would help you get over him."

Kagome had tears in her eyes, although she was trying hard to not let them fall. The thought had crossed her mind, but she preferred not to think about it. "I know that, Ayumi. I know that he's probably moved on and that I should have too. But I can't, ok? I try to, everyday, I try to forget about him and the oth… and everything related to him. But I have my bad days and this is one of them. So just back off, ok?", she said, trying not to sound too harsh.

"Ok Kagome, I'm sorry. I just want to see you happy again. It's been too long and you deserve to be happy", Ayumi said.

"Yeah, we really think that you should go out with Hojo… just to take your mind off your ex", Eri said.

"Look, now is not the time to think about this, okay? I appreciate your concern, but we have to go to class, the exam starts in five minutes", Kagome said, ending the conversation.

The three girls nodded and headed towards the school.

Kagome was sitting at her desk, her exam in front of her, staring at nothing in particular and her mind in another era. The Feudal Era.

Since the well decided to separate her and Inuyasha, she hadn't been able to forget him or her friends. She had a whole life in the Feudal Era. A boy she loved, friends who she considered family, a purpose. She felt as if it was her home. Of course she missed her real family when she was there, but she never missed it as much as she missed the others now.

Kagome was depressed and she knew it. She had no desire to get out of bed, no intentions regarding her professional and her personal life, she cried herself to sleep almost every night and she had zero patience with everyone around her. She was sick of it, but she couldn't help it. It hurt too much. She didn't know how she would go through life without them. Without Inuyasha.

"Higurashi, are you alright?", her teacher asked.

Coming back to reality with a start, Kagome blushed and looked at her teacher. "Yes, sorry." She got back to her test and finished it.

Declining her friends' invitation to go to WacDonalds, to celebrate their last day, she went home and immediately went to her room, plopping on her bed and closing her eyes. The best moments of her day were when she had time to herself, on her bed, when she could think about what she was missing. She thought about their times together, how much fun she had riding his back, seeing him smile, even fighting with him. And then she would think about all they could have had. Would he want her like she wanted him? Would he consider being with her, as boyfriend and girlfriend? Husband and wife? No, she didn't think he would go that far. Sure, he liked her, he protected her, he even kissed her. But taking things to another level was a different thing and she didn't think Inuyasha liked her that much. No, she wasn't Kikyo, after all. She wasn't anything like her, before she died, of course. Kikyo was much stronger, more beautiful, smarter, calm and collected. Kagome was pretty, sure, but she didn't think she was anything out of the ordinary. She wasn't dumb, but there were a lot of things about the Feudal Era she didn't know about. Besides, she was clumsy, short fused and irritating, to Inuyasha at least.

But still, even though she knew she would never be with Inuyasha the way she wanted to, she would still take whatever she could, just to be with him. They could go back to just being friends, she wouldn't mind it, if she could at least be with him, see him every day, talk to him every day, argue with him every day.

And then there were her friends. She missed Shippo badly. She felt maternal towards the kit and he amused her with his playfulness and his fights with Inuyasha. She missed cuddling him and seeing him do his fox tricks.

She missed her conversations with Sango and Miroku's charming ways, always trying to win Sango over. She hoped they were together now. They belonged together and they deserved to be happy. She knew they would be happy together, they cared too much about the other.

Kagome opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling again. _This isn't fair. Why did this happen? I thought I could be happy after the jewel was completed. I belong with them. That's where I want to be. What did I do to deserve this?_

Kagome closed her eyes and shed a tear. At that moment, she decided she was done pitying herself. She wasn't a victim, she wouldn't go down this path. She was going to be happy, for the sake of her friends. For the sake of Inuyasha. She knew he would want her to be happy, no matter what. She owed it to herself, to make the most of her life. She didn't regret having met him and she never would. She was going to be grateful to have known him and to have spent time with him and would think of him with happiness. She wished she could know if he was happy or not. She hoped he was. She hoped he would find someone to be happy with. If there was someone who deserved it, it was him. She was going to let go of the negative feelings and move on.

 _I will always love him. But I can't kill myself over something I have no control of. I'm going to graduate, I'm going to go out with Hojo and I'm going to make an everyday effort to be happy._

She got up, called Hojo and agreed to go to the movies with him after their graduation. Then she went downstairs and told her mom she would like to go out to buy a new dress for her graduation. Mrs. Higurashi smiled and thanked God to finally have her daughter back.

Graduation day came and Kagome was doing a lot better. She was decided to make the most of her life and was enjoying the company of her family and friends again. She got ready for the graduation and took the time to put on a little makeup and style her hair. She met her friends at school and had a genuinely good time. Hojo came up to her and asked her if she was ready. She told her family good bye and made her way to the movies with Hojo.

They chatted on the way and Kagome thought things were going good. She thought that maybe she would be able to move on, eventually, and maybe she could develop feelings for Hojo. She hoped she would. He was a good guy that cared for her, what more could she ask for?

He bought their tickets and went inside. The movie began and she felt Hojo's hand grab hers. She blushed and looked at him, who was staring at her with a smile. She gave him a small smile and turned to the screen again.

The movie ended and it was still clear outside when they got to the shrine. He walked her to the door and took both of her hands.

"Higurashi, uh, Kagome. I had a really good time today. Thank you."

Kagome smiled. She was glad he was finally calling her by her first name. "Me too, Hojo."

Hojo smiled and took a step closer to her, making her open her mouth in surprise. "I hope we can go out again."

"Uh, sure, I'd like that", she answered, feeling a little flustered. It felt wrong having him so close to her.

When she was about to turn to her door, he pulled her towards him and kissed her. She was uncomfortable at first and didn't return the kiss. He pulled out and looked at her.

"Kagome?"

"Uh, sorry…", she said, looking down. _Why can't I do this? This feels so wrong… what should I do? No, things will get better, I just have to get over the initial awkwardness. Even though it didn't feel that way with Inuyasha…_

Without thinking too much, she just stepped closer and kissed him. She tried to only think about the kiss, blocking her mind of anything else. Hojo was surprised, pleasantly surprised, and kissed her back with passion, embracing her.

After a couple of minutes, they parted and Kagome smiled at him, saying good bye. Hojo smiled back and waved.

Kagome climbed the steps to her room slowly, trying to process her feelings. _It didn't feel right… I hope it gets better with time. Still… I feel like I'm missing something. Maybe… maybe I should try one more time. Maybe I need closure. Just one more time and that's it._

With that thought, Kagome made her way to the well house.


	2. Chapter 2 - Her

A/N: Here's the result of a Saturday night at home. I'm not proud of it, but I hope that from now on things will get a little more interesting. Hope you enjoy it!

 **Chapter 2 – Her**

"Stupid wench. Stupid jewel. Stupid… HEY!"

Sakura's giggles were muffled by Inuyasha's shouts. "Stop petting my ears! Miroku, tell your daughters I am NOT a dog!"

"Uncle Doggy!", Sayuri squealed.

"Girls, stop harassing Uncle Inuyasha", Miroku said.

"Hey Sango, is dinner ready yet?", Shippo asked, barging in the hut.

"In a minute, Shippo", Sango said, while stirring the stew with one hand and holding her baby son with the other.

Inuyasha sighed. Partially in relief, to have his ears freed from abuse, and partially in longing. The past three years had been lonely for him and he didn't try hiding that fact from anyone. He was always sulking, sighing, mumbling, seemingly irritated with everyone, especially with Miroku's and Sango's daughters. In truth, he was happy for his friends. They deserved to be happy and they had two beautiful girls and a boy. Inuyasha was secretly very fond of them and they distracted him from his pain, but he wouldn't admit it. He was also happy for Shippo, who spent most of his time training with his fellow kitsune, although he, also, still suffered from Kagome's departure. But Inuyasha couldn't get past everything else. His mind was always on her.

Some days though, Inuyasha was just truly pissed.

"Keh."

"What happened to him?", Sango asked, turning to see her friend leave the hut.

"Kagome happened to him, that's what", Shippo answered, serving himself a bowl of stew.

Miroku sighed while juggling his two girls. "I feel bad for him. It's been so long, but he's still not over her."

"Can you blame him? Poor guy, he probably misses her more than we think", Sango said, putting her son down for a nap. "I just wish we could help him somehow."

Miroku dropped his daughters on their mom's lap and kissed Sango's forehead, before putting some stew in a bowl. "The only way we could help him would be by conjuring a Kagome, which, unfortunately, we can't."

#####

Inuyasha ran to the most bittersweet place he knew. The place where he met the girl who would become the most important person to him. The same place that she was taken away from him. Looking down at the Bone Eater's Well, he closed his eyes and did something he hadn't done in a long time. He prayed.

 _Please… if there's someone listening, someone who can help… please, bring her back. Please, I… need her. I need to see her again, at least one more time. I need to know that she's okay, that she's happy. Please…_

Inuyasha opened his eyes and was heart-broken to see nothing had changed. _Stupid Well, stupid God, stupid wench._

He bent his knees and hopped towards the Goshinboku.

The next day started bright and warm. Inuyasha was sleeping on one of Goshinboku's branches and woke up groggily, cursing the birds that were cheerfully chirping. He hopped down and went for a run, something he usually did to alleviate his frustration while also surveying his forest.

A few hours and a rabbit later, Inuyasha was up in the Sacred Tree again, staring at the clear sky.

"Inuyasha! Come down! Sango needs your help!", Shippo shouted.

"Oi, runt! Keep it down!"

Inuyasha landed beside the fox yokai and went right past him, mumbling something about "thumping". Shippo followed him.

"You know, you're not the only one that misses her."

Inuyasha's eyes widened and he looked down at the kit. "The hell you're talking about, runt?"

"Kagome. We all miss her. I'm sure you miss her the most, but it would be nice if you stopped moping all day and being mean to everyone. Kagome would've sat you if she saw you like that."

"Keh! Shut up! I'm not moping! I'm fine! Kagome is just some wench who… who… meddled into my life a while ago, but she's gone! I don't care about her and I DON'T care about what you or everybody else thinks of me! Go take care of your own business and leave me the hell alone!", Inuyasha yelled and stormed off.

Shippo sighed and walked slowly, behind the hanyou. "Adults…"

"What does your wife want, monk?", Inuyasha asked Miroku, while slumping to the ground.

"Ah, Inuyasha. Such a beautiful day, isn't it? There's something special about this day, I can feel it. Can't you?", Miroku said, while tying a rope to a tree.

"What the hell has gotten into you, lecher? Did you turn into a woman or something? What the _fuck_ are you talking about?"

"So you don't feel it? Well, it's probably nothing, but it is a beautiful day", the monk said, while tying the other end of the rope on another tree.

"Hey Inuyasha, thanks for coming. We need your help with the girls, we have a lot of laundry to do today", Sango said, while putting her daughters on Inuyasha's lap, her son resting in a sling on her back.

" _That's_ why you called me? To look after the _girls_? What do you think I am?"

"I'm sorry Inuyasha, but we really need your help!", Sango pleaded.

"You have the runt, why do you need _me_?"

Shippo arrived at exactly that moment. His eyes widened and he started fidgeting with his hands in panic. "I-I'm a child! I can't take care of another child! Besides, t-they pull my tail. It hurts."

Sango was already handing washed clothes to Miroku, who was hanging them on the clothesline. "He's right, Inuyasha. They are two girls and they are bigger than Shippo already. He can't handle them."

"Hey! I can handle them! I just don't want to!"

"See! I don't have to be here, he can handle them!" Inuyasha pointed a finger to Shippo, although it was already too late. The girls were tugging on his ears and chanting "doggy".

"You make a good toy", Shippo observed.

"Would you do something about the twins?", Inuyasha said, irritated.

"Girls, leave his ears alone", Miroku said.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha", Sango said.

Inuyasha's ears suddenly twitched, picking up a sound. Then he smelled something. A scent he hadn't smelled in a long time. It washed over him. _It can't be._

Getting up, he tossed the girls on Shippo. "Alright girls, go slay the fox."

"No way, I didn't sign up for this!", Shippo cried, pinned down by the twins.

"Oh Shippo", Sakura said.

"We slayed you!", Sayuri said.

Inuyasha raced as fast as he could. _This scent! There's no mistake._

Finally getting to the Well and looking inside it, sweating, he held out his hand. A hand grabbed his, making his body shudder slightly. _It is her._

Kagome pulled out of the Well, with tears in her eyes. "Inuyasha, I'm so sorry. Were you waiting here for me?"

"Kagome… you idiot. What have you been doing all this time?"

He pulls her into his arms, hugging her, while she rests her hands on his chest. _She's here._

Taking in her scent, Inuyasha wonders if he's dreaming. They are soon interrupted by their friends.

"Kagome!"

"You made it back!"

"It's been much too long, Kagome!"

Pulling back from Inuyasha, Kagome smiles. "Miroku, Sango, Shippo! It's good to see you!"

"Hey!"

 _I'm back._

#####

Kagome was dragged to the village and was experiencing the most overwhelming day of her life. There were too many questions being asked, too many hugs being given and one hanyou who she couldn't wait to get a hold of.

Inuyasha was being patient and letting everyone ask their questions and take their bit of Kagome. For now. He knew, deep down, that she was missed by all, and he couldn't be selfish to a point of wanting her just for himself. At least for now. He stood at Kaede's hut's door with his arms crossed in front of his chest, staring intently at the girl from the future, listening to her explain what she had been doing for the last three years and how she missed them all. He didn't like seeing so many people around her. He didn't like not having her attention. But he was waiting. For now.

He was actually a little glad to have some time to think before talking to

Kagome. What could he possibly say to her? What did she expect him to say? What did she expect him to do? He knew where his heart stood and he knew she was a good-hearted person, who cared for him. He just didn't know how much she did.

At that moment, Inuyasha was surprised to realize something. He was much more mature than he thought he was. He realized he would be okay if Kagome didn't want to be _with_ him. He was glad to be _near_ her, to protect her. His heart would break if that was the case, sure, but seeing her there brought so much happiness and easiness to him that he couldn't ask for more, not after everything he went through. As long as she was happy, he was going to support her.

 _Who am I kidding? Of course she doesn't want me. Look at her. Look at me! A half-breed. A man with dog ears. Stupid dog ears. A hanyou with no house, no money, nothing to offer. All I have to offer to her is my strength. I will protect her, always. That's all I could want, too. It's enough, it has to be enough. But if she wanted more… no, I can't think about that. I can't allow myself to think like that._

Kagome would often throw a glance at Inuyasha. _What's up with him? Why is he looking at me like that? What happened to him while I was gone? Oh God, he's probably thinking I came back to make him worry over me again, always having to protect me. I hope he's at least a little bit happy to see me._

Inuyasha caught Kagome's gaze and she smiled at him, sadly. _Oh great, thinking of a way to tell me she doesn't want me like I want her, probably._

Inuyasha was so caught up in his inner turmoil that he didn't sense the monk approaching him. "Inuyasha, are you alright?"

"Keh! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, you just seem… distant. I know you didn't talk to Kagome yet. Do you know what you're going to say to her?", Miroku asked.

"What do you mean? I've got nothing to say to her!"

Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha… there's no point in trying to hide your feelings anymore. We are all adults here. Everyone knows how you feel about Kagome. Everyone knows how _she_ feels about you. Now is just a matter of putting everything out in the open. You just have to tell her how you feel."

Inuyasha's anger diminished and he stared at the floor. "How could you or anyone else know? Kagome is a good person, she treats everyone nicely. Doesn't mean she, she… likes me or something. Besides, you don't know me, monk! Go take care of your kids!", he said, getting irritated again.

Miroku smiled and patted his friend's back, before walking away. "Just talk to her."

 _Stupid monk. Stupid wench, stupid hut!_

"And so my graduation was today and – "

"Enough!", Inuyasha yelled.

Kagome gasped as Inuyasha took her in his arms and leapt out of Kaede's hut. Shippo started to scream, telling Inuyasha to bring Kagome back and that she was not his. Sango frowned and Miroku laughed.

"Calm down, child. It is time for them to talk", Kaede said, patting Shippo's head. "We can talk to her again, later. She will stay here."

Inuyasha ignored Kagome's protests and carried her until they got to the Sacred Tree. He decided to not take her up the tree, since she would be more comfortable for a conversation on the ground, instead of balancing on a branch.

"Kagome, I think we should talk", Inuyasha, said, staring down.

"O-okay. I think we should too."

"Kagome… I missed you."

Without giving her a chance to answer, Inuyasha stepped closer to her and hugged her fiercely, burying his nose in her hair.

"Inuyasha… I missed you too."

He suddenly picked up a different scent and slowly pulled away from her, staring at her face. "You… you smell of another man", he said, sniffing her face. "Were you… were you _kissing_ someone?!"

Kagome turned bright red. _Oops._


	3. Chapter 3 - Trouble

**Chapter 3 – Caught**

"DID YOU, KAGOME?! TELL ME!"

Kagome flinched. "Inuyasha, calm down…"

"I'M NOT FUCKING THE CALM DOWN! ANSWER ME!"

Kagome was truly scared. She had never seen the hanyou so angry. She wasn't scared on her behalf, she knew he would never hurt her. She also knew that he _would_ hurt Hojo, if he found him. And knowing that Hojo wouldn't, especially now, leave her alone, she was scared the two might eventually meet, that is, _if_ the well was now working as it used to.

"IT WAS THAT HOBO GUY, WASN'T IT? I'm gonna kill him! Why did you do that, Kagome, why?!"

"Inuyasha… wait. Why are you so angry? I didn't go bat-shit crazy on you when I caught you making out with Kikyo, now did I?!" Inuyasha cringed at the memory – and the accusation. "You have no right, whatsoever, to be angry at me!"

"Don't try to change the subject, Kagome! That's different and you know it!"

"Why? _Why_ is it different?! Because you two love each other? Because you have a past together? Tell me, why could you kiss Kikyo and I can't kiss Hojo?"

Inuyasha's eyes turned red for a second. Now it was Kagome's turn to wince. "Kagome. Don't you ever kiss that guy again, you understand? You can't!"

" _Excuse_ me? You think you can tell me what to do? You don't own me! I can do whatever I want, Inuyasha. And just so you know, I don't _want_ to kiss Hojo. I didn't kiss him, willingly. He kissed _me._ Not that it is any of your business. And why do you care?"

Inuyasha took a deep breath. He was relieved to know Kagome didn't want to kiss Hojo and that she wasn't the one that started the kiss. Still, he was beyond pissed to know that another man had touched Kagome. _His_ Kagome. She was right. He had no right to be upset over it. He hadn't told her how he feels. He had hurt her numerous times, over Kikyo. But he couldn't help feeling jealous, wanting her to be his. Only his.

"I'm _angry_ at you because… because… I don't like you kissing other people."

With that, he took off to his forest, leaving a confused Kagome blinking.

#####

Kagome stayed at the spot Inuyasha left her for a few minutes, going over their conversation and trying to figure out what had just happened. One minute they were saying they missed each other, and the next, they were yelling.

She couldn't help but feel sad and lonely, thinking about the times Inuyasha had left her to go to Kikyo and the times she caught them together. It had hurt her so much and yet, she could never feel angry at him because of it. He had suffered enough throughout his life, and being taken away from Kikyo the way he had been… she couldn't feel bad for him. He deserved to be happy and she wanted him to be happy – even if it was at the expense of her own happiness.

She knew how much he loved Kikyo and she knew how much he suffered to see her wandering the Earth as an undead. And then to see her die the second time…

She hoped Inuyasha would come back soon. She needed to talk to him, tell him she was sorry, that she had no right to judge him, that she wanted him to be happy and that she was sorry he didn't get his happy ending with Kikyo. She knew her words had hurt him and she wanted to make it right. _He got so angry when he found out about Hojo… well, it doesn't necessarily mean he has feelings for me. He's a jealous guy, so he's probably just looking out for me and just, maybe, afraid that I would be with Hojo and forget him… though that could never happen. I can't say that I don't feel flattered, though. It's nice to have someone who cares enough to be jealous…_

#####

Inuyasha leapt from tree to tree, moved by an energy he hadn't felt in a long time. It was a mix of anger, frustration and longing. _That stupid wench. How can she not realize what I feel about her? Kikyo… she didn't even come close to Kagome. I've never felt anything like what I feel for Kagome. Not even for Kikyo. It has always been Kagome. No one else._

"Damn wench. Going around kissing that Homo guy."

Inuyasha stopped at a clearing and looked at the sky. _What do I do? I can't tell her how I feel. She doesn't feel the same. How could she?_

With a sigh, he took off again, getting farther away from his problems.

"Kagome, what happened? Why are you upset?"

Kagome walked inside Sango and Miroku's hut with a defeated look, looking down at her feet and then smiling faintly at her friends. The sunset was well underway and she had given up on waiting for Inuyasha.

"It was that baka, wasn't it?! Inubaka, I'm going to throw my spinning top on his head and then – "

"Shippo… it's fine. Inuyasha didn't do anything wrong. I'm just tired, it's all", Kagome said, ruffling the little yokai's head.

"Are you sure? Because I've gotten much stronger since you left, I can beat him with my tricks in no time!", the kitsune said, puffing his chest.

Kagome chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure, Shippo. Don't worry, whenever I need someone to beat Inuyasha, I'll call you."

Shippo grinned and resumed his dinner.

"Come, Kagome. You look like you need to eat something", Sango said, handing her a bowl and then sitting on the floor, next to her daughters.

"Kagome, where's Inuyasha?", Miroku asked, entering the hut with his son in his arms.

"He… went for a run, I guess."

Miroku, Sango and Shippo exchanged glances, knowing what "went for a run" meant. Inuyasha was upset.

"Did you two fight?" Miroku asked.

"Huh… kinda. It's nothing serious", Kagome waved off, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Ok…"

Kagome took Kaede's offer to sleep over at her hut, until she figured out where to stay. She hoped the Well would work again, but she didn't want to risk it, just yet. She decided to think about it later, after her mind was clearer.

She laid on the futon, unable to go to sleep, when she heard a light thump on the roof. Knowing well what that meant, she got up and headed outside.

"Inuyasha? Would you come down, please?"

The hanyou glared at her and, with a "keh", hopped down beside her.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"Fine by me."

Without saying anything, they walked in the Well's direction, both knowing it was the right place to have their "talks". It seemed right. It was like their home, their private little spot.

"Do you think the Well will work 'normally' now? Or maybe it was just a one-time thing?" she asked.

"Keh. How would I know? Why, thinking about going back already?" he asked with a hurt tone.

"No, no… I was just wondering. I mean, I don't really have a place to live here, so, if it doesn't work, I'll have to think about it."

Inuyasha blushed and turned his head to the side. "I could build you a hut."

Kagome's eyes widened slightly and she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips. "You would do that?"

"Keh. It's not like it's hard work or anything. I helped Miroku build his and Sango's hut. It's not a big deal."

"I see... how about you? You never wanted to build one for you?"

"Why would I do that? It'd be a waste to build one just for me, when I prefer sleeping outside."

"Right."

They were silent for a few minutes before Kagome opened up.

"Inuyasha… I'm sorry… about earlier."

Inuyasha looked at her with a confused look. "What are you talking about, wench?"

"I'm sorry I talked about Kikyo. I had no right. It wasn't my business to talk about and I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Inuyasha looked down, his ears drooping. "You've nothing to be sorry about. It's all in the past, it doesn't matter anymore."

"Still… I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm really sorry."

"Keh."

Another few minutes of silence passed.

"Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry too."

Kagome looked at him in awe. It wasn't an easy thing for Inuyasha to do, to apologize. "What for?"

"For… getting so angry. It's not like I didn't have a reason to be so", he said with a glare. "But I shouldn't have… yelled at you."

Kagome placed a hand over his. "Thank you." She smiled.

Inuyasha blushed. "Keh. So, where would that hut of yours be?"

Kagome smiled widely. "I don't know. We'd have to ask for the headman's permission, wouldn't we?"

"Well, actually, sometime ago, he said I could build one for me anywhere I'd like, so… I don't think he'll mind you choosing a place for yours."

Kagome smiled inwardly as she thought that Inuyasha was giving "his" place for her. _Maybe he's thinking it might be his, as well?_

"Well, I would choose somewhere near the Well and Goshinboku… what do you think?"

"I think that's a good idea", he answered, blushing slightly.

The next day, Inuyasha and Kagome went to the headman's house, to talk to him about Kagome's hut.

"Kagome, it is good to have you back."

"Thank you", she said, smiling. "I'm happy to be back."

"We came here to ask your permission. We want to build a hut for Kagome and we would like it to be in my forest, near the Goshinboku."

"I'm happy to hear that! It would be an honor to have you as a permanent resident. I don't see a problem in you building a hut there."

"Good", Inuyasha said, nodding, before he turned to leave.

"Thank you. And sorry for his… behavior", Kagome said smiling weakly.

The headman chuckled. "It is no problem. I'm used to Inuyasha's antics. I don't mind, really. He's done enough for our village and we are glad to have him watch out for us."

Kagome smiled and bowed her thanks, leaving the hut.

"Alright, I think that's enough wood for now. Have you thought about how you want it to be, Kagome?" Miroku asked as he stood on the spot Kagome chose, after deciding the wood Inuyasha was cutting would be sufficient for the time being.

"Hm… I don't think it needs to be big, it's just me, after all. Maybe a main room and another one, for my bedroom?"

"Alright, as you wish."

"No."

"What?" Miroku asked.

"'No' what, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"Build a bigger hut."

"What? Why?", Kagome asked, surprised.

"Because… you're used to a bigger house. And you might have a family someday", the hanyou said, blushing.

"Huh… okay…", Kagome said.

"He might be right, Kagome. Doesn't hurt having a bigger hut anyway. And he is right. You will probably get married and have kids someday, soon. There are a lot of eligible single men here in the village", Miroku said, grinning.

Inuyasha growled, while Kagome blushed fiercely. "What's the matter, Inuyasha? Do you know anyone who would be fit for Kagome?" the monk asked.

Inuyasha shot him a glare and went running towards the forest. "Really, Miroku? Did you have to do that?" Kagome asked.

"What did I do?", Miroku asked innocently.

"You know what you did, houshi-sama. Don't be a jerk", Sango said while approaching the two from behind.

"Sayuri, Sakura, how about we find Shippo? I bet he's dying to show us his new tricks", Kagome said, grabbing the girls' hands, dragging them away from their mother and away from that embarrassing conversation.

Sango sat down on the grass, to nurse her son, Seiichi, while her husband stood in front of her, looking at the wood and doing mental calculations, when he noticed what Sango was doing and looked at her, winking. "Really, Miroku? It's our third child. You see this" she said, gesturing her chest "everyday. It is time you get used to it."

"Ah, dear Sango… Don't you understand? Your charms will never cease to amaze me", he said, smiling.

"Cut if off, monk. Now, you need to apologize to Inuyasha. That wasn't nice of you. You know how he feels about Kagome. He just needs time to realize she cares about him too. Maybe now, that she's back and he's helping build her a hut, he'll finally do it. Just give him time and cut the teasing."

Miroku sighed. "Alright, if you say so. How can I deny you anything?"

"Of course."

Inuyasha was once again running from his troubles. It was always too much for him, to confront his feelings for Kagome, especially when other people got involved. He felt pressured to do something, something he wasn't sure he wanted to do. In the first time in a really long time, he was afraid.

 _Okay, what do I have to lose if I tell her how I feel and she rejects me? Well, everything really… she would probably be disgusted and wouldn't want to be my friend anymore… damn it. What do I do… But what if I don't tell her? Miroku's right, she'll find someone and I… I couldn't just stand there and watch it. No, I can't let that happen. I_ won't _let that happen. Kagome's mine and I have to make sure she knows that, now, before it's too late._

Kagome was walking around the village after playing with Shippo and the twins, taking her time to think about what she should do regarding Inuyasha. She couldn't reach a conclusion and she was getting tired. She just wished someone would come up to her and tell her exactly what to do. Fortunately, she had a pleasant distraction. She was excited to have a hut and whenever she thought about Inuyasha's reaction about the size of the house, she smiled. _A family… a family with him._

Kagome stopped walking when she felt a strong youki approaching. She was surprised to see she had gone a little far from the village and, feeling the yokai's impeding arrival, she got scared. _Why didn't I bring my bow and arrow? Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"Kagome! Long time no see! How's my woman?"


	4. Chapter 4 - Provide

Chapter 4 – Provide

"Kouga-kun! What a surprise…", Kagome said, with a somewhat fake smile. "How have you been?"

"How have I been? I've been all right, but I missed you like crazy", he said before taking her hands. "I came to take you a long time ago, but dog-turd told me he lost you and I wanted to beat the shit out of him, but after a while I let him go. Killing him wouldn't bring you back. So, did you come back to me? Can we leave for the den now?"

"Heh, Kouga-kun… I-I'm not going with you. I came back to be with Inuyasha…"

"What the hell, Kagome?! That dog-shit is not worthy of you and you know it! You know what, I'm not taking you today, I'll let you stay here for a while, so you can remember what an idiot that half-breed is. I'll come back for you, Kagome", Kouga said, letting go of her hands and turning around to leave.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing, mangy wolf?"

 _Oh no… so close_ , Kagome thought.

"Oi, Kagome, did he touch you?", Inuyasha asked, before taking a step towards Kagome and sniffing her. "He DID touch you! You son of a bitch, I'm gonna kill you! How dare you touch Kagome?!" Inuyasha pushed Kagome behind him and put his hands on Tessaiga's hilt.

"Shut up, mutt-face. Kagome is my woman and I can touch her whenever I want."

"Hey!" Kagome protested.

"Are you out of your fucking mind? How many times does she have to reject you for you to understand she's NOT yours?"

"You're the crazy one, thinking Kagome will choose a half-breed as a mate."

"Kouga, don't say that…" Kagome said.

"Keh!" Inuyasha said.

"Anyway, I decided to let Kagome stay here for now, so she can remember what a piece of shit you are. It won't take too long. Then she'll be ready to come with me."

"What do you mean you 'let me'? Kouga, you don't own me!" Kagome said.

"Heh, that's right, wolf. Can't get that bit of information through your thick skull, can ya?" Inuyasha mocked.

"Kagome's my woman, dog-shit, whether you like it or not. See ya, Kagome!" Kouga said before he took off.

"Kagome, WHY did you let him touch you?! Are you trying to lead him on?" Inuyasha asked, angrily.

"What? Why would I do that, Inuyasha? Seriously, you two are so dense it tires me out. I have no interest in Kouga and I'm _not_ going with him to his den. He's just delusional and I can't do anything about that."

Inuyasha suppressed a smile and decided to let it go for the moment. "Keh! Stupid mangy wolf. Doesn't have a clue, does he?"

Kagome stared at him with a bored expression. "Sure, _he_ really doesn't. Come on, I promised Kaede I would help her with lunch and I'm hungry."

Kagome spent the afternoon talking and catching up with Sango, while Miroku and Inuyasha resumed their work on Kagome's hut. The group met for dinner at Miroku's and Sango's hut and, after Seiichi started fussing, Inuyasha and Kagome decided to leave the family for their nightly rituals.

They decided to take a walk around the village and they remained silent until they reached Kaede's hut.

"Are you sleeping on the roof again?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah. It's where I usually sleep. It's a good spot to look over the village and make sure nothing's wrong."

Kagome smiled. "You've become the village's protector, haven't you?"

"Keh. It's not like it's a big deal or anything. Besides, these weak humans need me", he said, puffing his chest.

"Yes, they do. It's still nice of you, though. But you could spend the night indoors, you know. Kaede said it herself. Besides, with your senses, you'd be able to smell and hear danger from anywhere within the village, inside or outside."

"It's not like I mind sleeping outside", he said, nonchalantly.

"I know you don't. But I would feel better if you did. Makes me feel safe, having you beside me when I sleep", Kagome said, without realizing the double meaning.

Inuyasha did and blushed. "I… I… I can do that, if you want me to", he said, looking at the floor.

Kagome, noticing his embarrassment, finally grasped the meaning of what she said. "I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable", she blushed.

"It's okay. I'll sleep inside."

"Good", she said, smiling.

They entered the hut and were greeted by the old miko and Shippo, who was currently on a break from his fox demon training.

"Inuyasha's staying here tonight, if that's alright with you, Kaede", Kagome asked.

"It is no problem, Kagome. You are always welcome, Inuyasha."

"Keh."

After talking for a few minutes and making plans for Kagome's hut, the group prepared to go to sleep. Kagome laid out a futon, which she borrowed from Kaede, and Inuyasha took his seat beside her, leaning on the wall. Shippo cuddled Kagome and soon they were asleep. Inuyasha stayed awake for another hour, watching Kagome, and then he fell asleep, with a smile on his face.

#####

Inuyasha woke up to an empty hut. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to avoid the light that was coming from the door and, looking at his side, he noticed neither Kagome nor her futon were there. _That's weird. I didn't hear them waking up and moving._

Standing up, he noticed another weird thing. _I can't smell Kagome anywhere near. There's isn't even the slightest trace of her scent. What the hell?_

He ran outside and looked for the old miko, finding her in her herb garden, beside her hut.

"Oi, babaa, where's Kagome?"

"Good morning, Inuyasha. What do you mean where's Kagome?", Kaede asked.

"What's your problem, old hag? I meant where–is–Kagome? She isn't in the hut and I can't smell her anywhere!"

"Inuyasha… why would you smell Kagome? Especially in my hut? She hasn't been here in three years. Are you alright, Inuyasha?"

"What do you mean she hasn't been here in three years?! Are you stupid?! She came back a few days ago! She's been sleeping in your hut! Keh! You're just some old woman who's probably going insane. I'll go find her myself."

Kaede blinked a few times, not at all fazed by the hanyou's rudeness, and resumed her work in the garden.

Inuyasha stormed off towards Miroku's and Sango's hut, trying hard not to get desperate. _Stupid, stupid old hag._

"Oi, Monk! Have you seen Kagome?"

"Good morning, Inuyasha. Kagome? Uh… what do you mean?"

"What the hell is wrong with you people?! WHERE IS KAGOME?!"

Sango came out of their hut, with her son in her arms, looking worried and slightly angry. "What is going on? Why are you yelling, Inuyasha? I was just putting Seiichi down for a nap."

"Sango, is Kagome inside?", Inuyasha asked, trying to calm down.

"What? Of course not. Kagome is not here, Inuyasha, you know that. What's happening?"

Inuyasha was fuming. "KAGOME! WHERE ARE YOU?! KAGOME!" he shouted, running through the village.

Shippo came running up to him with a worried look on his face. _Has he finally gone crazy?_ "Inuyasha, what are you doing?"

"Kit! Where's Kagome?!"

"Uh… on the other side of the well?"

Inuyasha grabbed Shippo by the tail and started shaking him, dropping his toys on the ground. "Don't play with me, Shippo! You either tell me where she is and what sick joke this is you all are playing with me or I'll thump you until you have a hole in your skull!"

"Ahhhhhh, somebody help me! Inuyasha has gone crazy and he'll kill me!"

Sango came running to the kitsune's aid with wide eyes and clutching her son to her chest. "Inuyasha, let go of him!"

Inuyasha growled and kicked Shippo, who laid on the ground face down, crying hysterically.

"If anyone else tries to trick me into thinking Kagome didn't come back, I'll kill them, do you hear me?!", Inuyasha yelled and stormed off.

He went running towards the Well, screaming Kagome's name and praying to every God to not let it be true. It couldn't have been a dream. He had smelled her. Touched her. Heard her. _No, she's here, somewhere._

He finally reached the Well and looked everywhere around it, still not smelling anything and still screaming her name. He ran to the place they were starting to build her hut and saw nothing.

 _No… no! It can't be._

He went back to the Well and jumped, thinking that she could have gone back home, to go along with the prank. He hit solid ground, still in the Sengoku Jidai. It finally hit him.

 _It was a dream._

He jumped out of the Well and started cutting down every tree he found on his way, screaming her name and growling.

#####

"KAGOME!"

It was morning. He was the only one inside the hut. There were no futons and no one else. But her scent was there, almost as strong as if she were beside him.

"Kagome! Kagome!", he yelled, his eyes open wide, while running out of the hut.

Kagome was sitting beside Kaede, watching and helping the old miko with her herbs. She heard Inuyasha and stood up quickly.

"Inuyasha?! Inuyasha, what's wrong?!" she asked desperately, running to him.

He turned to her and his face showed how scared he was. She had never seen him like this and it broke her heart. When he laid eyes on her he instantly relaxed and, before she saw him running to her, he was grabbing her and pulling her to him, hugging her fiercely and burying his face in her hair.

"Kagome… you're here. You are really here. It was all a dream", he said softly, breathing in her hair's scent.

"Inuyasha… I'm here. I'm not leaving. Did you have a bad dream?" she asked, caressing his hair and returning the hug.

"Yes… I woke up and you weren't here and I couldn't smell you and everyone said you hadn't come back and no one would listen to me… I was so scared." Inuyasha was surprised with his honesty. He was never one to admit his feelings to anyone, especially when he was scared. But with Kagome, he felt like he could let go sometimes and really open up to her. It was something that scared him, to make himself vulnerable to someone, after having to be alone most of his life and learning that one's weaknesses were something to be hidden. But with Kagome, from the very start, especially after his first human night with her, he felt at ease letting her know him, his true self. It still made him feel uncomfortable, but it was something he wanted to work on. After all, there wasn't someone else who could mean more to him than Kagome and he wanted her to be a bigger part of his life. A much bigger part. There was no other way of doing that than letting her in.

"It's okay now, I'm here. I'm not leaving you. Never."

He pulled her from him to stare at her, but still not letting her go. "Kagome…"

"Inuyasha! What's wrong? Why were you yelling?"

 _I'm going to kill this kid._ "Nothing's wrong, runt! Go away", he said, letting go of Kagome.

"Inuyasha, he's just worried about you. Shippo, nothing's wrong, it was just a misunderstanding." Inuyasha looked at her with a grateful smile, happy to know she wouldn't "turn him in". She knew Shippo and he, along with Miroku, eventually, would tease him about his dream if they knew about it.

"Are you sure? Because it seemed like he was really going crazy and – "

"SHUT UP, RUNT! Conversation is over! Nothing's wrong!"

Shippo whined but stopped as soon as Kagome picked him up. "It's fine, Shippo, really, nothing's wrong. Now go play with the children and behave, okay? Inuyasha, let's go to the hut's construction site. I want to discuss a few things."

"Fine. You stay here", he said, pointing to Shippo, who had been put down by Kagome.

#####

"So we could have a small shed here, to store wood and stuff. And then, I'd like a herb garden here. Or we could…"

Kagome was talking non-stop, but Inuyasha didn't mind one bit. He stopped listening to her the second time she said "we". She talked as if it was his house too. It's not like he didn't imagine it being _their_ house, but he was still surprised to see how easy it was for her to refer to it as something that belonged to the two of them. Something they would share, together.

He kept looking at her, admiring her beauty and her determined look while she walked from side to side, blabbering. She was really excited to have her own hut and he was too. He was very eager to finish it soon too, because he didn't like the idea of her being "fostered" by the old hag. She deserved a place of her own, a place worthy of her. And he was going to provide it for her.

Besides, having the hut, especially away from the others, meant that he could have her all to himself sometimes. He didn't like being interrupted when he was with her and he was looking forward to having her full attention. They could talk in peace, rest, touch… _Whoa. Stop there._

The sad thing, he realized, was that he wouldn't be able to sleep inside with her. He knew how things were and he didn't want the villagers to think he was dishonoring her. Still, he would gladly stay on the roof, watching over her. Then, during the day, they would be together. _Well, at least in the beginning. Then maybe I can sleep inside, on the same futon as she, with my arms around her, hugging her from behind, my hand on her…_

He shook his head and stared at the ground. _Why am I thinking this is going to happen? Who am I kidding?_

"So, what do you think?" Kagome asked, pulling him out of his _rêverie_.

"Huh, what?"

"You weren't listening, were you?" she asked, with a mock frown.

"I, uh…"

"That's okay, I know I was babbling. Anyway, I asked you where do people get their furnishings."

"Oh, uh, there's an old man here who makes some of them. We can also go to another village to buy some. I'll go hunting then, to trade. And I can also do other stuff to get them, like cutting wood." _That's all I can do for you, Kagome. I don't have much, but I'll do anything to make you happy._

Kagome grinned and hugged him. "Thank you, Inuyasha. I know it's a lot of work, but I appreciate it. I hope I can help somehow as well. I'll go talk to Sango and see if she has any ideas."

Inuyasha blushed. "Keh! It's no big deal. Besides, there are some yokai slaughtering sometimes, in other villages. People always give me and Miroku some money for it. He's been keeping my share. It's not much, certainly not enough to furnish the whole house, but it'll help. And you are _not_ doing anything, you hear me? It is all up to me. I'm the one who has to provide for you." He immediately blushed.

Kagome blushed as well but couldn't contain her smile. "Alright, we'll see about that. Now, let's go talk to Sango and Miroku."

He followed her out of the forest and tried his best to hide his smile.

"Sango, Miroku, can we talk to you?" Kagome asked, entering her friends' hut.

"Sure, Kagome. I just put the twins down for a nap, let's go outside."

Kagome nodded and all four of them went outside, Miroku holding his son, sitting on a few logs.

"So, Inuyasha, it's good to see you've calmed down. What was bothering you earlier?" Miroku asked with a smirk. "It certainly seems like Kagome helped you settle your nerves."

"Oi, cut it, Monk. Nothing happened. Drop it."

"Alright, so, I wanted to ask you guys about furnishing the hut. Inuyasha said he can trade game and other stuff for it, but I wanted to help too. Is there anything I can do?" Kagome said, trying to change the subject and hiding her blush.

"Kagome! I just told you you are _not_ doing anything! I'm the one who's going to get everything for your hut!"

Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha, I'm not going to sit and - "

"Ow! Why did you do that?!" Inuyasha asked with his face buried in the ground.

Kagome sat beside him, smoothing his back. "I'm so sorry! I completely forgot about that!"

"I hope you remember it from now on, wench!" Inuyasha said, lifting his face and glaring at her.

Miroku and Sango chuckled. "I missed that", Miroku said.

Inuyasha glared at him.

"Well, anyway, do you know how I can help?" Kagome asked, looking at her friends.

Sango was about to say something when Inuyasha intervened.

"Kagome, will you stop it?! I already said _I'm_ taking care of it, just drop it!" he said and then stormed off.

Miroku sighed. "Kagome, you have to understand. Things might be different in your time, but for us, for Inuyasha, it is the right thing to do, to provide for your family. You know he thinks of you as his", Kagome blushed. "And it is a blow to him, to see you rejecting his position of provider. Let him take care of it all and just support him."

"But, it feels wrong… especially because we are not together…" Kagome said, looking at the ground and drawing little circles on it with a stick.

"Kagome, Miroku is right. As much as it pains me to admit, that's the way things are. Women are supposed to let them do all the work. But that doesn't mean you have to submit completely. You could go with him and Miroku to their extermination jobs and help purify yokais and villages. Besides, Inuyasha would really like to have you with him when he travels. Actually, I don't think he would allow you to be without him at all."

Kagome gave her friend a bright smile. "Sango, you're a genius! That's perfect! It means I can help him earn money _and_ we can be together, that way he won't get upset. Thank you, Sango."

Sango returned the smile. "You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get dinner started."

"Now that's a woman's job", Miroku said, winking at Kagome.

"Shut up or I'll bump hiraikotsu on your head _and_ leave you on diaper duty for a month."

"O-okay dear, I'm sorry."

Sango got inside the hut and Miroku leaned towards to Kagome.

"And it is a good husband's job to do what the wife says", he whispered to her, giving her another wink.

######

Kagome woke up the next day with a start. There was a lot of screaming going on and the voices were approaching Kaede's hut. She was alone inside it and ran outside to see what was happening.

"Please, please help us!" a woman pleaded to Inuyasha and Shippo, who were standing a few feet from her. There was another woman beside her, looking frightened as well.

"What's going on, woman?" Inuyasha asked.

"Our village! They are attacking our village! A lot of yokai!" the other woman said, panting.

"Wait here. I'll go get the others", Inuyasha said.

He turned and looked at Kagome. "Hey. Are you coming?'

"Yes. I'll go get my stuff and you go get Miroku. I'll meet you there."

Inuyasha nodded and headed to his friends' house, with Shippo in tow.

Kagome said. _e will choose a half-breed as a you for you to understand she_


	5. Chapter 5 - Light

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates! Writer's block… anyway, here's a small chapter to make it up for those of you who have been waiting. Will be back soon! Tchau!

Chapter 5 – Light

They reached the village, with the two women leading the way, to find a bunch of serpent yokai attacking the people, who were trying to hide inside their huts or attacking them with swords and sticks. The villagers weren't outnumbered, but they were certainly having a hard time defending themselves, even though the serpents weren't that big and strong.

"Keh! This will be a piece of cake."

With a single strike of Blades of Blood, half of the serpents were dead and turning into ashes. The other half, approximately five, now turned to Inuyasha.

"Ssssssstupid, half-breed. You think you can destroy usssssss? Get ready to die!" one of the yokai said.

"Heh! You ignorant slimy bastard."

The serpents charged towards Inuyasha and he cut them head to tail, one by one. Inuyasha grinned and turned to the villagers.

"Job done."

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha turned to Kagome and his grin instantly turned into a scared expression when he realized one of the serpents had sneaked out of his Tessaiga attack and was now preparing to attack Kagome. Before he could run to her, Miroku's staff hit the yokai right before he got to Kagome, saving her.

"Bassssstard human", the serpent said. He was still alive, but Sango quickly launched hiraikotsu and took care of the yokai.

Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief and ran to Kagome. "Kagome, are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I think so." She then turned to Miroku, smiling. "Miroku, thank you very much for saving me. That was a close call."

"You are very welcome, Kagome", Miroku said with a grin.

Inuyasha was suddenly in a very bad mood. Somehow, though he knew he should be grateful that Kagome was safe, he was jealous. Miroku took away a chance of him saving Kagome and he didn't appreciate it. He was certain he would get to her in time. And then Kagome looked at him, smiled _and_ thanked him. _Damn Monk._

"Thank you all, so much! We were desperate and we had already lost a few of our men when your group got here. We can't thank you enough. Please, accept a small payment as a way of thanking you. Come with me, please", the headman of the village said, coming up to them.

The group was pleased and didn't think it would be wrong to accept the payment. The village wasn't poor and the headman lived in a large house. They usually didn't accept anything other than a place to spend the night and some food when they helped a poor village, but, in this case, it didn't seem to be a problem for the headman.

They followed the old man to his house and sat down on the floor for some tea, which was served by his wife. She greeted them and bowed, thanking them again. They started drinking their tea when the headman started to speak.

"Your name is Inuyasha, isn't it?" he asked, turning to the hanyou.

"Yes, why?" he asked with a frown.

"Oh, it is a pleasure to meet you. Since our village is close to yours, we've heard many good things about you. People always tell us about how a hanyou is always helping protect the village up north."

"Keh."

"That is good to know", Kagome said, smiling to the headman.

"Indeed", Miroku said, before taking a sip from his tea.

"Well, I want you to know you are always welcome in our village and we will help you with whatever you need, whenever you need. It is good to know we have someone who could help us if we need protection against an attack, so I humbly ask you to do so when needed. In exchange, you can ask for anything from our men and women. We have people who produce vegetables that are more than enough to feed us, men who can work building huts and other things, women who sew…"

"Excuse me, but do you have people who build furniture?" Kagome asked, interrupting the man.

The headman looked at her and smiled. "Yes, we do. We have a man who is great at building furniture. He would be happy to serve you."

"Oh, that's wonderful. We have a hut that we are still building that needs all sorts of furniture. Would it be acceptable if we go to see him and negotiate some sort of deal with him?" Miroku asked.

"That is absolutely fine, houshi-sama. Ask for whatever you need and consider it payment for what you've done today and for what you will do for us in the future, helping protect our village", the headman said and then bowed.

Inuyasha grinned. This was a very good way to make sure Kagome got everything she needed and more. He was more than happy to do what the headman asked and would tell Miroku he wouldn't need his presence while visiting the village. He wanted to be able to do this alone. Besides, the monk had a wife and kids to look after. He was also happy to finally have Kagome stay out of his business providing for her. _Now the stubborn wench can't say a thing, heh._

"Old man, your offer is accepted. I will come by your village often enough to make sure it's safe. You can also send someone for me whenever you need. I'll also help with whatever it is you'll need around here, like cutting wood and stuff", Inuyasha said, shrugging.

"I'm very happy to hear that, Inuyasha-sama. If you are finished with the tea, I will accompany you to the woodworker's hut."

Once they got to the woodworker's , the headman told him to supply them whatever they asked for. He explained their deal and the man was happy to abide. Kagome asked for a large pallet (which Inuyasha blushed when she said she wanted one for two people), a wardrobe and a chest. Inuyasha said he also wanted a table, a few chairs and a dressing table, to make sure Kagome wouldn't miss the furniture she was used to. She blushed and smiled at him, but said to the woodworker that wouldn't be necessary. Inuyasha got slightly angry and told her he insisted on it, and she agreed.

They returned to their village, satisfied with their work and Inuyasha's deal, and, since he would return to the other village quite often, he would wait for the man to tell him when the work on the furniture was done.

Besides, they still needed to resume their work on Kagome's house (which Inuyasha refused to call "hut"), and he was, more than ever, determined to finish it sooner rather than later. Miroku helped Inuyasha as much as he could, since he still had his responsibilities as husband and father, besides his eventual spiritual work on the shrine next to their village, and Inuyasha was secretly thankful for his friend's effort, even though that was a sentiment he wouldn't express.

Kagome would spend her days watching the men work on the house and helping Sango with the kids, while also using the opportunity to catch up with her. She was glad to have her one true female friend back and, now that Sango had finally settled things with Miroku, Kagome thought she could rely on her friend for some help with the issue that had been on her mind every single day since she got back.

"Sango, I don't know what to do with Inuyasha", she said one day, looking at the ground with a sad look, while they were playing with the kids outside Sango's hut.

"What do you mean, Kagome?" Sango asked, picking up her son.

"Well, there's all this talk about building me a large house, providing everything to me… but I don't know where we stand, what our relationship is. I know I care about him and I know he also gets jealous when it comes to other men, like Kouga. But he still doesn't show me or tell me he wants more than a friendship. I don't know what to do about it, if I should stay quiet or talk to him about it."

"Kagome, you know he cares about you, right? It is clear to everyone that he likes you more than a friend does. I just think he's not prepared to tell you this. He's been alone and lonely his whole life, he probably got rejected one too many times, so he is probably afraid to confess his feelings for you."

"I guess you're right. There's still the Kikyou issue. I don't know what he feels about her anymore."

"But Kagome, Kikyo's gone, you know that", Sango said, reaching for her friend's hand. "Besides, while you were gone, Inuyasha suffered because of _you,_ not _her._ He would talk about you when he was sad, he would get frustrated when someone mentioned you, he would get angry whenever something even remotely related to you came up. He's been loving you for a long time and we were really worried about him, after you left."

"I know, but that doesn't mean he forgot her or that he doesn't love her anymore… maybe that is why he can't be with me, because he's still in love with her and he feels guilty about moving on. I don't know… all I know is that I care for him, a lot, and that I want to be with him. But I don't want him to feel pressured or anything."

"Do you want me to give him a nudge? Talk to him, drop a few hints… maybe hit his head with hiraikotsu…"

Kagome laughed. "No, no, that won't be necessary, thank you. I think I should talk to him. I guess we've matured enough to have that sort of conversation, as adults. I just hope he doesn't get angry."

"I think that's a good idea and I don't think he'll get angry. Maybe that's what he needs, for you to make the first move."

Kagome smiled. "You're right. I'll go talk to him."

#####

Kagome walked to the construction site and saw the men working on her house. She smiled. She was always impressed to see Inuyasha working so hard and giving orders to the men, as a real expert. She was also happy to see him obviously pleased to be doing that for her. She felt lucky to have someone like him to take care of her and he certainly did his job right. Even without her family with her, she felt that Inuyasha was enough for her to be happy.

"Inuyasha! Are you almost done for the day?" She asked, looking up at him, who was working on the roof.

"Oi, Kagome, do you want your house to be finished or not? I'm not done, I still have a couple of hours left in the day. What do you want?" He asked, looking at her.

"I, uh, need to talk to you. Maybe you can take a break?"

Inuyasha sighed. "Fine."

He hopped off the roof and landed beside her. She asked him to go with her to the Well, which would give them enough privacy to talk about the matter at hand and it was close to the house, so they wouldn't have to go far.

She sat on the edge of the Well and patted the spot beside her, silently asking him to sit. She looked at the ground and Inuyasha saw her embarrassment and wondered what was going on. She began speaking hesitantly and he could feel how uncomfortable she was.

"Inuyasha… I don't know how to say this, but… I think we should talk about a few things. Things that have been bothering me and that I think it's about time we discuss, as adults", she blurted.

"O-okay. What's bothering ya?"

"Well, I've been back for a few weeks and you're building me a house, a large house, and, still, we're only friends. Don't you see something wrong in that picture?" She said, still not looking at him.

Inuyasha widened his eyes in surprise. He knew what she was talking about, but didn't know how to respond. He wanted to be honest with her, but didn't know how. "I… yes, I can see. I just don't know how… what…"

Kagome decided to intervene. "How do you feel about me, Inuyasha?" She said looking at him, at last.

Inuyasha looked at her, scared as a little puppy, uncertainty showing in his expression. He was sure how he felt about her. He just didn't know whether he could confess to her. He didn't feel ready to do it, he was still weary of her response, but he also couldn't just lie to her or not answer. _What if she's asking me this just to set things straight and to make sure I'm not expecting anything from her?_

He started to formulate his answer as he spoke. "Kagome, I… I don't know if-"

He was interrupted by a bright light conjuring in front of them. It was bright enough to make them shield their eyes with their hands. The light slowly began to fade and they could see there was a humanoid form surging from it. They gasped when they realized who it was.

"Kikyo?!"


	6. Chapter 6 - Unsettled

**Chapter 6 – Unsettled**

"Kikyo?!"

"Inuyasha", the miko said.

"W-what? How?"

"I know you must be surprised."

"Damn right I am! I thought you were…"

"Dead. Yes, I am dead. I'm only here in spirit. After I died, I wandered and now I came back to you. I wish to speak with you."

"But… how can that be? Your soul… it's the same as Kagome's."

"You are right. But the souls that fed me before I died the second time remained with me. And you must have realized, long ago, that she and I are completely different."

"Yes…" Inuyasha said.

Kagome watched the whole scene by his side, speechless. They seemed to have forgotten she was there. She didn't know what to think or how to feel. She felt confusion, anger, jealousy… _why did she come back?_

"Go, Inuyasha" Kagome said, standing up, not looking at him.

He stood up as well and grabbed her arm. "Kagome…"

"It's alright. I guess you two have a lot to talk about. I'll be at Sango's." With that, she turned and walked away.

When Kagome disappeared from their sight, Inuyasha looked at Kikyo. "Please explain what's happening."

"Alright. As I said, I died, but my soul remained in this plane. I walked around, trying to find solace, but I couldn't. My soul, whatever it is made of, still craves you, Inuyasha. I thought I was ready to leave, to let you be happy, with her." She tried hiding a grimace. "But I can't. I know that might be selfish of me, but now I know I might be wrong. You didn't take her as your mate, did you? So that means I was wrong. You two don't belong together", she said, smiling weakly.

"That's not… no. I-I… Kagome was gone, after the battle. She was taken away from me and she couldn't get back. She only did a few weeks ago. We… I still care about you, Kikyo, but I don't…"

"I see. But I don't understand. She's been back for a while, so what's stopping you? Do you really want her, Inuyasha? It doesn't seem like you do."

"W-What? No, I-"

Kikyo interrupted him. "It's okay. I think I know why you haven't taken her as your mate. But I also know you're not ready to leave her, either. I will go now, but I will come back. I won't give up on you, Inuyasha. She's not for you."

Before he could say anything, Kikyo turned into a ball of light and disappeared.

Inuyasha wanted to go to Kagome, but he wasn't ready to face her, to face her sadness. He knew she was upset, like she was whenever Kikyo appeared in the past. He just wanted to take a moment to gather his thoughts and think about what just happened. He ran to the woods as fast as he could, hoping to find some escape.

Kagome walked into Sango's hut to find her nursing her son. She tried not to look sad, but realized that she was failing miserably when Sango looked up at her and her smile turned into a concerned expression.

"Kagome? What's wrong?"

"Well, you won't believe me, but… Kikyo is back", she said, slumping to the floor in front of Sango.

Sango gasped. "WHAT? But how…"

"Yep, she died. But her soul is still around, apparently. She… wanted to talk to Inuyasha, so I left them at the Well."

Sango put a sleeping Seiichi down on the futon and reached for Kagome's hand, patting it lightly. "Oh, Kagome… I'm so sorry."

Kagome tried to smile. "It's okay. I mean… I'm not _happy_ about it, but what can I do? Besides, they need to talk, I had no choice."

"Did you manage to tell him you want to be with him?"

Kagome stared at her hands, folded on her lap. "No. She got there before I could."

"Hm. Well, there's really no reason to be upset, right? You know Inuyasha cares about you and that Kikyo is in his past. I don't think that will change how he feels about you", Sango said, trying to cheer her friend up.

"I don't know… he always chose her over me. Whenever she showed up, he ran straight to her. I'm not sure what to expect. In the end, I just want him to be happy."

"I'm sure that he wants to be happy… with you."

Kagome smiled. "Thanks, Sango. I'll go take a walk, okay? I'll be back soon."

Sango nodded and watched her friend leave the hut.

#####

Kagome walked around the village, making sure not to go too far, hoping to see Inuyasha return. After a couple of hours and not seeing him anywhere, she decided to check Sango's hut.

"Sango? Did Inuyasha show up here?"

"No, he didn't… did you check your hut? Maybe he's there working."

"You're right, I'll go see."

"Hey, Kagome, will you please tell Miroku to come back soon? It's almost nap time and I could use a little help."

"Oh Sango, I'm so sorry. I'll help you."

Sango waved her hand. "No, you have business you need to deal with. Besides, it's about time he changed some diapers."

Kagome smiled. "Okay, I'll make sure he leaves right away."

Sango smiled and Kagome took off.

"Hey, Miroku. Do you know where Inuyasha is?" She asked the monk, who was carrying a log.

"Inuyasha? No, I haven't seen him since he left with you earlier."

 _Damn._ "Okay, thanks. Oh, Sango needs you. She says you need to get there now."

Miroku grimaced. "I know exactly what she needs me for. Oh well, can't get away with it, unless I want a large bump on my head."

Kagome smiled faintly. She was still wondering where Inuyasha was. She didn't want to go to the Well, afraid that she would interrupt his conversation with Kikyo. But still, it had been too long, they couldn't still be talking, could they? She decided to try her luck.

She was relieved and worried when she saw that neither of them was by the Well. She suddenly felt a surge of panic. _Could he… no, he wouldn't. Not without saying goodbye first. But what if she dragged him? Maybe… that was the only way she could be with him, since she doesn't have a body now. No, that can't be true. He would at least convince her to let him say goodbye._

Kagome tried in vain to remain calm. She paced around, a million thoughts going through her head. Before she knew it, the sun was starting to come down.

"Oi, Kagome, what are you doing?"

She turned around and let out a loud sigh of relief. She ran to him and threw herself in his arms, not caring about what he might think.

"Inuyasha, thank God! I thought… I thought she took you with her. I thought I was never going to see you again." She took a step back to look him in the eye. "Where were you? I was so worried."

Inuyasha was blushing because of their contact and was trying to form sentences in his head. "I… I went for a run. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worried."

"It's okay, I… I should have known that you would least come back to say goodbye if you went with her", she said, sadly.

Inuyasha gasped. "W-What? You think I would do that? Silly girl…" He hugged her again, burying his face in her hair, smoothing it. "I'm not leaving."

Kagome smiled. "Thank God. I thought… I thought she wanted you back." She felt him stiffen. "What? Did she…" she said, pulling back from his embrace.

"Uh… well, she said she… she…" Inuyasha didn't want to hurt her with Kikyo's thoughts about them. "Yes, she wants me to be with her."

Kagome felt the back of her eyes burn. "She does? W-What did you say to her? I mean, I know it's none of my business, but… I don't want you to go to hell with her…" She tried her best not to look anxious and was using all her might to hold back the tears.

"Who said anything about hell?! No, I'm not going to hell. She didn't ask me that, she just said she… wants to be with me."

"But… how? She… doesn't have a body, does she? How would you…" Kagome blushed and stared at the ground.

Inuyasha was also blushing and he suddenly realized she was right. The only way they could be together was if he died, too. "No, I'm not going! That's the end of it, no more talking about her!"

Kagome let out another sigh of relief and looked at him, smiling. "Okay."

They made their way back to the village in silence and met Sango and Miroku for dinner.

#####

The next morning, still without talking much, Kagome stayed with Sango, to help her with the children, as Inuyasha and Miroku went to the hut to work. Sango was hanging clothes to dry while Kagome held Seiichi. The twin girls were happily playing with Shippo a few feet away from them. She explained what had happened with Inuyasha and Kikyo to her friend and Sango gasped when she told her Kikyo wanted him back.

"How could that woman… she knows he loves you and she knows you love him too! How dare she!"

"I'm not so sure… maybe she knows Inuyasha still loves her and she thought she might give it a shot. Still… Inuyasha didn't tell me what he said to her. He just said he wasn't going to go anywhere."

"Well, that settles it then, doesn't it?"

"I would like to think so, but… she'll probably come back, try to take him again. What if he changes his mind?"

"I don't think he will, Kagome… but don't you think it would be better for you to tell him how you feel? That way he will know, for sure, that he belongs with you, here. He won't feel insecure about your feelings for him."

"I don't know. What if I tell him and he decides to stay with me just not to hurt me? He might even think he owes it to me, since I came back and left my family to be with him."

"I think it's still worth it. You should tell him." Sango said while picking up her son, shooing Kagome.

Kagome smiled and left.

She decided to wait for a better opportunity to talk to Inuyasha. Kikyo's appearance was still fresh and she also wanted more time to think about the implications of her declaring her love to the hanyou. She wasn't ready for a rejection and, with Kikyo back, she was even more afraid of it. And now, if something like that happened, she couldn't go running to her time. This was now her only home and she wouldn't feel that it was if Inuyasha rejected her.

She went to Kaede, to help her with her herb garden, and the old miko quickly sensed the sadness in her aura.

"What ails you, child?"

Kagome looked up at her, while sitting on her knees, and brushed the back of her hand on her forehead. "Oh, it's nothing", she said with a fake smile.

"Don't lie to me, Kagome. It might help to tell me what is wrong."

Kagome sighed. Since she was Kikyo's sister, Kagome thought it would be better to let her know her sister was back. She told everything that had happened yesterday and Kaede listened quietly, with an open mouth.

"Well, that certainly wasn't expected. And I take it that her return has bothered you."

Kagome blushed. "Yes… I just don't know what Inuyasha will do now."

"I know you worry, child. But do not forget, Inuyasha cares about you. I do not think he would give you up to be with my sister. She is long gone and he would be stupid to go with her. And I don't think he has the same feelings for her than he does for you."

"Thank you, Kaede. I know I should talk to him, I'm just waiting for a good opportunity."

Kaede nodded and resumed her work.

#####

The next few days were awkward between Kagome and Inuyasha. They didn't talk much and Kagome could sense there was something bothering Inuyasha. She was afraid to ask what was wrong with him, afraid to know the answer. She decided he would tell her when he was ready. All she could do was hope it wasn't what she thought it was.

 _Oh God, what if he's really considering going with Kikyo? I don't know what I would do if that happened. What_ could _I do? I wouldn't have anyone here with me… I know I have my friends, but… they all have their own lives, their families… I would be alone._

One day, Kagome decided that, even though it didn't seem to be the right time to tell Inuyasha how she felt, she wanted to make things better between them. She asked him to come outside with her, after having dinner with Kaede, and he took her to the Well and hopped on a branch of Goshinkboku, settling her beside him.

"Inuyasha… I don't want things to be weird between us. Whatever it is you're going through, whatever you decide to do… it will be okay. Just know that I will always support you, as long as you are happy."

He looked at her with a serious expression and then smiled. "Thank you." She smiled back and lightly squeezed his hand. He squeezed it back and wrapped an arm around her. "I want you to be happy, too."

They stared at the fading sun, enjoying each other's company.


	7. Chapter 7 - House

A/N: Hello! Here's a nice, long chapter for you guys. Hope you like it and have a good week everyone!

Chapter 7 – House

The mood between Inuyasha and Kagome was much better the next few weeks. Everyone could see them smiling at each other, holding hands while walking, saying nice things about the other. Everyone thought that it was only a matter of time, but Inuyasha and Kagome would become mates.

Kagome was still building courage to confess her love for him. She was happier than she could remember and was just afraid to lose everything, so she was still holding it in.

Inuyasha was beaming. He felt like he could really be happy with Kagome, that she would say yes to him. He didn't want to rush things, so he decided to wait until her hut was finished before he could talk to her about their future.

The hut was taking longer to be finished because of the additions Inuyasha wanted to build and also because of the "extras" he wanted, to make Kagome's life as close to what she was used to in the past. Kagome insisted she didn't need those things, but he insisted even more. He wanted to do everything he could to make her happy.

"Inuyasha. Really? A bathroom?" She asked.

"Keh! You're used to having one and we figured out a way to do it, so just shut it, woman."

The bathroom even had a bath and Kagome was really happy to have a place to bathe inside. The hot springs were amazing, but it was hard getting undressed out in the cold winters. It seemed like Inuyasha had thought it all through and she couldn't feel happier to know he was determined to make her happy. He was always surprising her and exceeding her expectations, making her feel more than appreciated.

She decided that it was a great opportunity to talk to him. They were walking inside the almost finished house when she took his hand.

"Can we talk? Outside?"

Inuyasha looked at her and nodded. "The Well?"

Kagome smiled and they walked hand in hand.

Getting to the Well and sitting on its edge, Kagome turned to him and looked very anxious, fidgeting with her hands.

"Inuyasha… do you remember when I asked you to come here so we could talk? You know, before…"

Inuyasha coughed. "Yes, I remember."

"Well, I didn't get to tell you what I wanted. And you didn't answer my question, either."

Inuyasha suddenly got very nervous. How could he lie to her? He didn't think it was the best time to tell her how he feels, but he didn't have a choice. It was time to let it out. If only he could find the right words without shoving his foot in his mouth… "Kagome… I… really like you. A lot. And I don't want to be without you. I want you… to be with me." It was the best he could do at the time and Kagome understood. She saw it in his eyes, the words he couldn't say. She didn't need to hear them now. She could wait. She just needed to know, and he showed it to her with his eyes.

"Inuyasha… I-I want to be with you too. I… love you."

Inuyasha's face lit up and he gave her a wide smile. "Really? You do?"

Kagome smiled. "I do."

He took her face in his hands and kissed her. All his thoughts escaped his head and all he could think about were her lips. Her scent. Her skin. All he wanted was to be close to her. Closer.

Kagome was light-headed. It took her a few seconds to realize what was happening. This kiss, his kiss, was nothing like the other they shared, before he was taken away from her. That one was soft, polite, gentle. This one was passionate yet calm. He took his time tasting her lips and she thought she would have fallen if they were standing, since she could feel how weak her knees were. He started licking her lips, slowly teasing her, trying to part them without invading. She eagerly accepted his invitation and let his tongue in, tasting her, while he caressed her own.

Inuyasha couldn't believe how good it felt to taste her. He couldn't believe something would be as good as her scent. He always thought about their other kiss and felt butterflies in his stomach whenever the memory came to his mind. But now, he felt like he could die from pleasure and happiness. This would be his favorite memory now. And then she reached his neck, softly caressing the hair on its nape. He moaned into her mouth, tilting her face to deepen the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him. She sighed and moved her hands to his arms, feeling his strong biceps.

They finally parted for air and he leaned his forehead on hers, both trying to catch their breaths. He smiled at her and she smiled back. She reached for one of his ears and was surprised to see he didn't move away. He leaned on her hand and moaned softly.

"All this time, I thought you didn't like when I touched your ears. And now I find out you do? If I knew it sooner…"

"I like it. Only when you do it", he said, still leaning towards her, his eyes closed.

Kagome was about to take the other ear when they heard someone.

"Uh… what is going on here?"

Kagome and Inuyasha stood up, startled. Inuyasha cursed himself for not hearing the kit approach, but he knew he was too entranced by Kagome's hand to notice anything surrounding them.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here, Shippo?"

Shippo flinched at the hanyou's tone. "I… Sango asked me to check on you. It's almost time for dinner and she hasn't seen you all day. I-I was worried too."

Kagome smiled at the kitsune, but Inuyasha was _not_ amused.

He grabbed the young yokai by his tail and shook him. "Why didn't you yell?! You know I would have heard you!"

"Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha continued to shake the child, who was now crying in fear.

"… osuwari."

"Ow! Kagome!" Shippo fell to the ground, but stopped crying, rubbing his tail and whining.

"Shippo was only looking out for us. Besides, it was Sango who sent him. He didn't mean to sneak up on us."

Inuyasha was starting to lift himself off the ground and mumbled something about sneaky pups. He got up and started walking.

Kagome and Shippo looked at each other, shrugging.

"Well, are you two coming or not?!"

They quickly got up and followed the hanyou.

"Hey! Where were you? We were worried." Sango said when the trio walked into the hut. She was stirring miso soup while Miroku was bouncing his son on his lap.

Inuyasha and Kagome blushed. Shippo stayed quiet. He didn't want to risk getting thumped. Inuyasha threatened him when they were on their way to the village, without Kagome hearing, of course. If Shippo said anything about what he saw, Inuyasha would make sure he got a scar on his head.

"We… were discussing stuff about the house and didn't realize how late it was", Kagome said, trying to hide her blush.

Miroku grinned evilly, but surprisingly, decided to stay quiet, for now.

"Oh, okay. You two must be hungry. There you go", Sango said, handing them each a bowl.

They both bowed in thanks and began eating.

"So, what were you two talking about?" Miroku asked, trying not to grin.

"W-What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"You were talking about the house, weren't you? So, what were you talking about? It was an awful long conversation."

"Right, we were. Uh… I showed Kagome the bathroom and talked to her about building a porch."

Miroku gasped. "A _porch_? Are you sure?"

Kagome blushed. He actually hadn't told her about that, but she couldn't say anything about it. "And I said no. No porch. That is way too much. Only the headman has a porch, no one else in the village does. It's ridiculous, why should I have one?"

"Because you deserve it."

Everyone stopped eating and looked at Inuyasha. He hadn't realized he had said that out loud and when he noticed that the clacks of chopsticks had ceased, he looked up. He saw Kagome looking at him with moist in her eyes. He blushed and decided it was best to ignore it.

Sango decided to speak first. "Well, so… have you heard anything from the woodworker?"

"Uh, what?" Inuyasha asked.

"The woodworker from that village you always go to. The one who is building Kagome's furniture, you know?" Sango said, teasing.

Inuyasha snorted. "He has a few things done and he's still working. I told him the house is not finished yet and so we're keeping them there for now."

"Oh, good."

No one spoke until dinner was finished. They were all still stunned by Inuyasha's words and, after Sango's question, no one could come up with something to break the silence. When they were finally finished, Kagome excused herself and told them she was going to Kaede's to sleep, saying she was tired. Inuyasha followed her.

"So, Shippo, care to tell us what you saw when you found those two in the forest?" Miroku asked.

"I, uh… nothing. They were just talking", Shippo said, trying to avoid Miroku's gaze.

"Oh really? Are you sure about that?"

"Y-Yes", he mumbled, nervously.

"So you really didn't see them doing anything… out of the ordinary?"

"PLEASE STOP! INUYASHA WOULD KILL ME! I CAN'T SAY IT!"

"It looks like we finally broke him", Miroku said, turning to Sango, who nodded. "Well Shippo, what could I possibly do to make you spill it? Maybe I could get you all the persimmons you could eat. I could help you with your training…"

"Miroku, that's enough. Leave Shippo alone. Come on, it's time to go to bed and _you_ have a diaper to change."

Shippo sighed in relief and left the hut, headed to Kaede's. Miroku sighed in frustration and turned to his wife. "Yes, dear."

#####

Inuyasha was working on the hut when he smelled a familiar scent. _Oh hell no._ He left the hut running, not caring to answer Miroku's questions. "Inuyasha, what's happening? Is something wrong?"

Inuyasha ran as fast as he could. He knew Kagome was out in the forest, looking for berries, and he caught her scent quickly, knowing he probably wouldn't get to her in time.

#####

Kagome was humming to herself, gathering berries and admiring her surroundings. She was happy and thinking about Inuyasha. He had woken her up that morning, after Kaede and Shippo left, brushing the hair out of her face. She opened her eyes and looked at his, smiling at him. He smiled back and pulled her to his lap.

"Good morning."

"Good morning", he answered.

Shippo came running into the hut and Inuyasha growled. "Again, runt?"

"S-Sorry!" Shippo said, running out, before Inuyasha could say anything else.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said, smiling.

They ate the breakfast Kaede had left for them and went to the house. Getting there, Kagome told him she would go look for berries and that she would come back to have lunch with him. He nodded and she left.

Now she was thinking about how good it felt to wake up and see him. _It will only get better_ , she thought with a smile.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she only noticed the yokai when he was standing in front of her. She woke up from her _rêverie_ and gasped.

"Kouga-kun. What are you doing here?"

"Kagome, have you had enough time to think? Are you done with mutt-face?"

"Kouga… I told you already. I don't want you. I'm staying here, with Inuyasha."

"Kagome when are you going to realize you're mine? I told you from the start. You were never his." He took a step forward and grabbed her arms. She tried getting out of his grasp, but he held her more tightly.

"Kouga, let me go."

"No, Kagome. I can't wait any longer." Kouga took her in his arms and kissed her. It was a rough kiss and it took Kagome by surprise. It took her a moment to process what was happening and she quickly pushed him off of her.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?!"

Inuyasha was by her side so fast she didn't even see him punching Kouga. He took her and pushed her behind him, taking Tessaiga out of the sheath, aiming at Kouga.

" _KAZE NO-"_

"Inuyasha, DON'T!"

Inuyasha turned to her with a glare. He looked surprised and angry at the same time and his eyes seemed to be turning red. "How _dare_ you, Kagome? You stay out of this! I'll deal with you later!" he said, yelling.

When he turned to continue his attack on Kouga, the wolf was gone. They heard his voice yelling from a distance. "Bye Kagome! See you! I'll come back to take you later!"

Inuyasha put Tessaiga back in its sheath and looked down. Kagome tried looking at his eyes, but his bangs were covering them. She was worried about his reaction and wanted him to say something, anything.

"Inuyasha, I didn't-"

"Be quiet, Kagome." His voice was strangely calm and Kagome whimpered.

Inuyasha started walking and Kagome didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she should follow him or not. She realized he wasn't going anywhere. He was just walking in circles around her. She felt like she was his prey and she shivered. He was baring his fangs and she saw that the calm he showed with his previous words were gone. She wasn't scared, but she didn't want him angry at her, she wanted to explain things to him.

"Inuyasha, _please_ let me explain. I didn't kiss him, he-"

"I said, be quiet!

Kagome cringed but did as she was told. He glared at her, his eyes slightly red. He was sniffing her and she felt exposed. She wasn't entirely uncomfortable in the situation. Oddly, it was exciting her a little.

"You have his stench all over you. HOW COULD YOU LET HIM TOUCH YOU, KAGOME?"

She wasn't sure if she should talk, so she just remained quiet, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"You should have called me. You know how he is! You should have called me as soon as he got here! Unless, of course, you wanted him close to you." He said the last part in a hurt voice and she noticed it.

"Inuyasha, _please_ listen to me. I was distracted, I didn't feel him coming. He surprised me and grabbed me, forced me. I didn't want to talk to him, see him, touch him! I don't like him that way!"

Inuyasha could tell she was telling the truth. Still, he couldn't stop feeling angry, knowing some other man had touched her, kissed her. It was something only _he_ was allowed to do and it made him feel sick to remember the scene he encountered. The thing that bothered him the most was the way she smelled of him.

"Go take a bath. You reek of him."

Kagome looked at him with a wounded look and nodded, heading to the hot spring. He followed her soon after, just to be around her in case the wolf or someone else came by. He stood with his back to the place she was bathing, his arms crossed on his chest. He was a lot calmer now and decided to take it easy on Kagome when she got back.

Kagome was done in a few minutes and approached Inuyasha. She was still wary of his reaction and didn't want to say something wrong, so she just came up to him and waited for him to turn around. When he did, he was a lot more relaxed now and she sighed.

"Kagome. I'm sorry if I scared you. I just couldn't stand seeing you… like that, with him."

"I didn't want to be like that with him. I'm sorry I didn't react sooner, I was just shocked."

He shook his head, trying to forget the image in his head. He pulled her for a hug and soothed her hair. "Let's just drop it, ok? Come on, it's time for lunch."

She nodded and they walked to the village.

A few days had passed and Kagome's house was finally done. Inuyasha relented and didn't build a porch, but he told her he might do it someday. They made several trips to the other village, to get the furniture, and Inuyasha asked Kagome for directions, to see where she wanted each piece. He had also asked the seamstress, for curtains, and other stuff like pots and bowls, without her knowledge, and didn't let her inside until everything was in place. She was getting anxious and smiled broadly when he finally went out of the house.

He took Kagome's hand and pulled her inside. Kagome gasped. There was a fire in the middle of the main room, cabinets on one wall with a small counter beneath it, a table with four chairs, a futon on another side and curtains hanging on the window. Her hand covered her mouth and she turned to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha… this is… it's so much more than I expected!"

He grinned and puffed his chest, proud to have pleased her. "Keh!"

He took her by the hand to the small hall and showed her the three empty bedrooms. He put a pallet and futon in one of them, for Shippo, he told her. She smiled and nodded.

Then he took her to the bathroom and showed her how the bath worked. He had come up with a smart solution, having put a whole on the floor, that was circled by a thick stone tube with a small entry for wood working like a furnace, to heat the bath that stood on top of the stone circle.

Kagome was shocked at his expertise. She didn't know he could be able to do such thing. She knew he was a lot smarter than people thought, but that was something out of the ordinary.

"Inuyasha… that's amazing. How did you come up with this?"

"Keh! I've seen similar things around. I just copied it."

She didn't know if he was belittling himself, but decided to drop it. He took her to the final room, beside the bathroom and on the opposite side of the other bedrooms. It was the largest room in the house and Kagome's mouth dropped and she saw it, standing, frozen, beneath the threshold. It had a large window on her right side, covered by a curtain, a big, fluffly bed in the center of the wall facing the door, that Inuyasha taught the woodworker how to build, based on Kagome's old bed, a chest that laid on the foot of the bed and a wardrobe on her left. On the wall that faced the bed, beside the door, was a small dressing table with a chair and a mirror hanging in front of it.

Inuyasha smiled when he saw her reaction, his ego almost bursting. "Do you like it?"

"Do I… Do I _like_ it? Inuyasha!" She threw herself at him and he caught her, stumbling. He chuckled.

"I take that as a _yes_?"

She pulled out of his arms and stared at him. "I love it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is even better than my old room!" She said, laughing.

He smiled and blushed. He knew it was probably bigger and better than her old room, but it wasn't hard doing it. He had everything he needed to make it like this in his time, and he knew she would be happy to have a room like that.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He looked at her with his eyes wide open and then returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and closing his eyes.

He was kissing her neck when they heard a soft knock on the front door.

"Hey, is someone here?" Miroku asked, opening the door.

Inuyasha let go of Kagome and sighed. "I swear I'll punch that stupid monk…"

Kagome smiled and took his hand, dragging him to the main room.

"Miroku, the house is amazing, more than I could ever wish for. I know you helped Inuyasha more than you should have. Thank you, I really appreciate it", Kagome said, smiling.

Miroku smiled back. "You are very welcome, Kagome. So I take it that you did like it. I have to say, everyone was very impressed with Inuyasha's skills, myself included. It was also very interesting to see how many things he learned and recreated from your time."

Inuyasha blushed and lifted his chin, folding his arms across his chest. "Keh!"

Kagome smiled and touched his arm. "Yes, he's done a remarkable job. I couldn't be happier and prouder."

Inuyasha's blush got even darker. "I'm hungry. Let's see what the old hag has for us."

#####

It had been a week since the house was finished and Kagome was enjoying having her own house. Inuyasha slept on her roof every night and she decided not to insist on the matter of their sleeping arrangements. She knew Inuyasha wouldn't sleep inside, afraid of what the villagers would think of her and him, and she knew it was a wise choice, even if she didn't like it.

One morning, she woke up and made breakfast, and went outside to call him. He hopped down and followed her inside, to eat. He left shortly after, telling her he would go ahead and catch a few fish for lunch, since she had said she felt like having it. She nodded and started doing the dishes.

After a few minutes, she remembered to tell Inuyasha they needed more wood. The shed was now empty, since he was too busy building the house up until last week, and hadn't gotten to the task yet. She went to the river and stopped in her tracks when she looked up at the sky. _Kikyo's soul catchers._

She decided to go see it for herself, trusting Inuyasha enough to know he wouldn't do anything to hurt her. _He's just talking to her, nothing else._ She kept telling herself that, while clutching her fingers. _Still, I have to see it for myself._

Kagome spotted the river through the trees and then gasped out loud. Inuyasha was standing in front of Kikyo, who was caressing his face with her hands, while he held her forearms.

 _No…._


	8. Chapter 8 - Poison

Chapter 8 – Poison

 _No…_

Kagome was glued to the ground. Her mind was spinning and she couldn't think straight and she couldn't move. This pain was all too familiar to her and, after having gone through it so many times, she just felt numb. She kept staring at Inuyasha and Kikyo and it felt strange. They were touching, they were speaking, but something wasn't right with the picture.

She could see it in his eyes. They showed pain, but they were sparkling. _Love? No… it's something else. Is he… struggling with something? But what?_

Suddenly, Inuyasha turned to Kagome, but he didn't move. Kikyo's hand was still touching his cheek and his hands were still on her forearms. He locked his gaze with Kagome's and he strained his glazed eyes, looking like he was pleading, asking for help. Kagome couldn't understand what was happening. He couldn't be asking for help, he would never do so. No, he never asks anyone for help. Besides, he wasn't in danger. _So… is he… trying to tell me he's sorry for hurting me, maybe?_

Kagome shook her head and decided it wasn't what it looked like and she wasn't a little girl anymore. She wouldn't run away, she wouldn't go crying to her Mama, she wasn't going to go home and wait for him to get her. This was her home now and he was hers.

"Inuyasha!", she yelled, running up to him.

Kikyo was startled by her presence and let her hand drop from Inuyasha's face. His hands dropped from her the moment she stopped touching him and Kagome saw a small sigh of relief leave his mouth. Kikyo looked at the girl, glaring, and then leaned towards Inuyasha, whisperng something in his furry ear, then disappeared into a ball of light.

Kagome caught up to him, still puzzled by what she witnessed, and tried her best to not look or sound hurt.

"What were you two doing, Inuyasha?"

"I… don't know. I came here, because I saw Kikyo's soul catchers, and I thought I had to talk to her, let her know I won't change my mind about her and… you."

Kagome smiled but then frowned. "So why were you so… close to her?"

Inuyasha dropped his gaze to the ground and said, angrily. "I don't know! All I can remember is me telling her that… I guess we just talked about something else, but I can't remember, it was probably some nonsense about you and me… I guess I drifted off and came back from it when I saw you."

"Okay… so what did she whispered in your ear, when she saw me?" Kagome asked, accepting his explanation, but still wanting to know everything that had happened.

"Oh, uh… I think she told me she's going to come back. But I don't know why. Maybe she'll visit Kaede. I don't know." Inuyasha sounded confused, but Kagome took pity on him and decided to drop the subject. He really seemed distressed. All that mattered was that Kikyo now knew that she and Inuyasha were together and things would finally progress between them.

Kagome sighed and took his hand, dragging him. "Okay, so let her come back. Doesn't really matter now, does it? Come on, let's go have lunch, I'm starving!"

Inuyasha stopped walking suddenly, pulling Kagome backwards. She squealed at the abrupt stop and turned to him, worried.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?!"

"I forgot to get the fish", he said, smirking.

#####

Inuyasha and Kagome were walking to her house, after spending the day with their friends in the village, holding hands. The moon was bright and lighted their path and their faces. Kagome turned to Inuyasha, beaming with happiness, and saw that he was wearing a similar expression. She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand a little tighter, making him look at her with soft eyes. His golden orbs were gentle, bright, smiling at her and melting her heart. She gathered up the courage to tell him what had been bugging her for the last eight days, the exact same time her house had been finished.

She was hoping, along with Miroku and Sango, that as soon as it was finished, Inuyasha would tell Kagome exactly what he wanted with her. What he _really_ wanted. Sango had explained to her that inu yokai mated for life and that their mating ritual involved marking their mates. She also told her that they were very protective of their mates, but Kagome had already figured that out, after knowing Inuyasha for so long. Her talk with Sango was uncomfortable, since she felt shy discussing these matters with her friend, but she also knew there was no better person to do it with. Sango was a woman, a married woman, and had studied yokai her entire life, because of her training as a taijiya.

Kagome had asked Sango if she knew why Inuyasha was taking so long to ask her if she wanted to be his mate. Sango didn't have an answer for her, but, like always, advised her to talk to Inuyasha. Kagome told her about what happened with Kikyo the previous day. She then told her friend that Inuyasha had been acting somewhat weird around her ever since, and they hadn't talk that much. They hadn't even shared a kiss since, and that had been bothering Kagome, since he would always, at least, give her a peck on the lips when they parted for the night. Sango assured her he was probably just nervous, maybe thinking Kagome would be angry at him because of Kikyo, waiting for her to snap at him, and Kagome agreed. Sango concluded that the best thing right now would be to Kagome put aside his "weirdness" and just talk to him already.

So here she was, walking hand in hand with the hanyou she loved, all alone, in the front door of the house he had built for her. There's wasn't a better opportunity.

"Inuyasha… can I talk to you?"

"You're already talking, wench."

Kagome glared at him. "I meant… can we talk, inside the house, for a while?"

Inuyasha widened his eyes. "You sure?"

"Yes, I am. I don't care about what the villagers think. Besides… we are just talking, right?" She said, looking at the floor.

"Uh, right. Okay."

They walked inside the house and Kagome motioned him to take a seat on the futon. She went to the cabinet to get the kettle and cups, and started to make some tea for them. She sat on the futon, beside him, silently, until the water boiled, then poured him some tea and sat again.

She was sipping her tea, sweating from anticipation, when Inuyasha lost his temper.

"Will you just spill it already?!" He didn't mean to be rude. But he couldn't stand it any longer. The anxiety was killing him, but not just his own. He could feel her distraught aura and it was tearing him apart.

Kagome turned away from him, thinking about what to say next, not ready to just blurt it out like he was expecting her to. Her thoughts were interrupted by his now soft voice.

"I-I'm sorry. I just wish you would say it already."

Kagome smiled and thought that maybe the reason he's been acting strange was really because he was afraid she was mad at him for talking to Kikyo. So now he was probably thinking she would say something about it and was nervous, just as she was. The thought of him being worried gave her enough courage to say what she had been meaning to say.

"Do you… I… I want to know why you haven't asked me to be your mate."

Inuyasha's eyes shot to her face and he realized he probably had heard it right when he saw her beet-red face. She was staring at the floor, looking extremely embarrassed and Inuyasha comprehended the terrible mistake he had made.

 _She's probably thinking there's something wrong... with me or her. I was so caught up in my turmoil that I didn't see she is anxious too._

"Kagome… I'm sorry."

Kagome looked at him, surprised, and tears started falling. "N-No, _I'm_ sorry. God, please forgive me, Inuyasha, I thought…"

He understood how she had interpreted his words when she started getting up. "NO!" he said, grabbing her arms and pulling her down.

Kagome sank awkwardly on the floor, looking confused and sad, Inuyasha's hands still grasping her arms, facing her. "I don't understand…"

Inuyasha sighed. "Kagome, no more misunderstandings, okay?" Kagome nodded, still confused. "I-I… want you to be my mate. God, there's nothing in the world that I want more. Don't you see that? Can't you see that, even though I want you… badly, I can't bring myself to ask you? I know you like me... But being mates… it's forever. And I didn't want to scare you. I was afraid it might be more than you asked for, and you don't even know how…. bad inu yokais get when they mate. I'm already crazy about you, can you imagine how I'll be when you're finally mine? You can barely stand me now."

Kagome stared at him in awe. His bangs were covering his eyes, his head down, and she could feel how afraid he was… afraid of her rejection. She couldn't stand seeing him like that.

"Inuyasha", she said, in the softest of voices. Her eyes were damp with tears after hearing his words and she cupped his cheeks. "I love you. Don't ever doubt that." His eyes met hers, worshipful and filled with hope. "I want to be with you, forever and more, if it's possible. It's always been you, only you. I want to be your mate."

Inuyasha didn't even flinch. He pushed his lips against hers with such intensity that Kagome's back fell on the main room floor, lowering Inuyasha with her. She didn't even notice the light pain from the impact, too entranced in his kiss. He devoured her with a passion he had never expressed before. He was the one who was now cupping her face, like it was something too precious to drop. Her hands circled his neck and she moaned in his mouth. All the doubts and fears they were both suffering with for so long were vanished, disappeared with their last words.

He was on top of her, his body completely relaxed and molded to hers, something neither of them had ever experienced. All he could think about was the taste of her lips and her mouth, the outside world completely forgotten. His desire was only growing and, unlike the other times they had kissed, he wasn't intending on making it stop. He wanted more, his inhibitions seemed to have faded in her touch, her warmth. His hands started to roam her body, moving from her cheek to her neck, his mouth following it. Kagome moaned when they finally parted for air and she felt his lips kissing and his tongue licking her neck. She moved her head to the side, to give him better access, not wanting him to stop whatever it was he was doing to her. She let out a cry when his fangs nipped her shoulder lightly and he looked at her, worryingly.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"No, no. Sorry, I… I liked it."

He gave her a smirk and started kissing her lips again. He continued his ministrations and it felt, for the both of them, that the interruption never happened. The desire was there with as much force as before, if not more. Inuyasha decided to move on from her neck, his longing for her body making his hands drop to one of her breasts. She moaned in his mouth when he grabbed one and started massaging it, and he was pleased to see how much pleasure that act brought her. He had always imagined what it would feel like to touch them, her beautiful, full breasts, that he got glimpses of whenever he could. Those images plagued him throughout their search for the Shikon no Kakera, and he often had to give the group an excuse to go deep into the forest to think about them and relieve himself.

His mouth left hers once again and he trailed kisses down her throat, while his hands pushed her shirt up. Kagome could feel his hand trembling and opened her eyes when he stopped kissing and touching her. She took a strand of his hair out of his face and saw how nervous he was and thought he was probably worried because he didn't know exactly what he was doing. The problem was that she didn't know how to do it either.

"I don't know what I'm doing either. It's okay, we'll learn, together", she told him, giving her a reassuring smile.

He lifted an eyebrow and smiled. "Conceited wench."

He started kissing her again, even more passionately, and quickly got rid of her shirt, with the help of his claws. Kagome didn't even notice what happened until he sliced her bra, the only one she had. She gasped and scolded him with a "hey!". She suddenly realized how exposed she was and covered her chest with her hands, blushing.

Inuyasha was now cockier than ever. "What? It's not like I haven't seen them before", he said, giving her another smirk.

Before she could answer he kissed her again, his hand moving hers from one breast and taking it, tenderly. His fingers teased her hardened nipple and he pushed his hips to hers more strongly, making her whine in pleasure, feeling the bulge in his pants on her center.

Inuyasha had thought about this moment more than ever the past week, and was still afraid to do something wrong. He decided to act on his instinct, thinking that somehow he would do something right, as long as she was feeling pleasure as well. He started rubbing his erection against the fabric of her skirt, the only one she had, and the friction was making Kagome arch her back, bringing her breasts to his eyes. He couldn't help himself when his mouth met one of them and he started sucking on it. She moaned out loud and grabbed his hair, holding him in place.

The feeling he was having couldn't be described. He never knew he could feel that much pleasure. And he hadn't even entered her yet. Kagome was also lost to oblivion, wanting nothing more than to feel him touching her. She wanted more, she wanted to feel his skin too, so she started removing his haori, pulling it off his shoulder with his help. His undershirt went with it and they were both with their chests bared.

Inuyasha had stopped all of his movements to stare at her. He couldn't stop looking and admiring the woman beneath him, and he took a moment to let it all sink in. Suddenly, Kagome saw a frown on his face and he yelled.

"FUCK!"

Kagome was left baffled when the hanyou stood up and handed her his haori, putting his undershirt on.

"What happened?!" She asked, covering herself in his fire rat robe.

"Fucking monk is coming", he answered, heading for the door. "Are you ready?" he asked her. She nodded and he sighed, opening the door.

Miroku was about to knock on the door when it was flung open. He tumbled inside but regained his balance before falling. "Oh, oops. Inuyasha, I know it's a bad time, but-" he looked at Kagome. Then at Inuyasha. His eyes kept going back and forth until he realized what he had interrupted. "Oh, OH! I'm very, very sorry. Uh, Inuyasha, there seems to be a situation with a large yokai in a village nearby. A few men came to us and asked for our help. We need to leave, now", he told him, giving Kagome a small smile. Kagome and Inuyasha were blushing furiously and the monk didn't seem to mind, at all. "So, I'll give you two time to… recompose yourselves and I'll meet you at my house", he said, waving goodbye.

Inuyasha went to Kagome and she dropped her head on his chest, clutching his undershirt. "That was… the most embarrassing thing I have ever gone through."

"Keh! Stupid monk did it on purpose. I'm gonna make him pay later, he'll be so sorry when-"

"Inuyasha! It's not his fault the village is being attacked!", she said, smacking him on his chest. "Besides, the sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back."

Inuyasha gave her a broad smile and kissed her quickly on the lips. She went to her wardrobe, in her room, and grabbed a yukata. She put it on and went back to the main room, handing him his haori. "Now go. You'll need this. I'll… wait for you, here", she said, smiling.

He nodded and smiled, before leaving. Kagome let out a disappointed sigh and went to her bedroom, plopping on the bed on her stomach.

#####

Inuyasha and Miroku had been away all night, and Kagome went to Sango's, worried about the lack of news. They thought their men would be back in a few hours, since the village was so close to theirs and they usually found weak demons to fight with, that is, weak demons in Inuyasha's perspective.

Their missions were usually quick and easy and, with their prolonged absence, the women were starting to worry.

"Did it ever take them that long, in the past three years?" Kagome asked.

"No… not when it was a neighboring village. But I'm sure they are fine and were probably just too tired to come back and accepted the headman's offer to spend the night there", the former demon slayer said, even though she knew it was highly unlikely.

Kagome wasn't convinced either. "I don't know, Sango. I don't think they would spend the night there, with us waiting for them here. If I knew it would take them that long, I would have gone with them."

"Don't worry, we'll see them soon. And it's not like we can do much about it, right? All we can do is wait", she said, smiling.

Kagome nodded and turned back to the cooing baby on her arms.

It was lunch time when the two men finally came through the hut. Sango and Kagome were cooking when Miroku stepped in while supporting Inuyasha with one arm.

Kagome immediately went to them and Miroku laid his friend on a futon. Kagome hovered over Inuyasha, trying to find out what had happened, searching for injuries. She found none. There was no blood, but Inuyasha was panting and his face was pale, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Miroku, what happened?!"

"Kagome, we weren't expecting that many yokai. And they were dangerous. Inuyasha got distracted for a second, to help out a little girl who was almost caught by a huge spider, when another one bit him. It was poisonous and it was almost dawn when it happened. We had to stay there until Inuyasha regained consciousness and was able to walk, and the healer gave him some herbs, but he's still in a lot of pain and his fever is high. They didn't know what else they could do, so I brought him."

"Oh God… Inuyasha, wake up!" Kagome said, brushing his hair with her fingers. "Please, wake up."

"Kagome, I'm going to call Kaede", Sango said.

Without taking her eyes off the hanyou, Kagome nodded.

Kaede came in the hut a few minutes later and brought some herbs. Kagome recognized the herbs and was hopeful they would help. She was sitting on the floor with Inuyasha's head on her lap, just like the first time he was bitten by a poisonous spider, and was caressing his face.

"Here, child, ye need to make him drink that", Kaede said, handing her a tea, which she made with the herbs she brought.

Kagome nodded and lifted his head slightly, placing the cup on his lips and slowly turning it, so the liquid would go in his mouth.

Inuyasha coughed a little and whispered. "Kagome…"

"I'm here. I'm not leaving. You'll get better, just rest."

Kaede looked up at her. "That is right, he needs to rest now. You just keep giving him the tea every two hours and he will probably wake up in a couple of days, if not sooner."

"Thank you, Kaede-baa-chan", Kagome said, bowing.

A full day had passed and Inuyasha was still unconscious. Kagome stood by his side and was constantly looking at him, touching him or making him drink his tea. She didn't get much sleep because of it, but she didn't mind. She just wanted to make sure he would heal fast.

His fever had gone down a little, but he was still very pale. She cursed Myoga, for not being there when Inuyasha needed him, like the last time, when he sucked the poison out of Inuyasha's body.

 _Damn flea._

Everyone else was outside, carrying on with their duties, when Kagome heard the bamboo mat moving. With a relaxed expression on her face, Kikyo spoke.

"He's been poisoned."

Kagome looked up at the dead miko with a start. "What are you doing here?"

"Calm down, girl. I've come to see Inuyasha. How long has he been sleeping?"

"That is none of your concern. He's being treated, by me, his intended mate, and he'll be fine soon."

Kikyo smirked. "I see. So you are still determined to become his mate?"

Kagome raised a brow and snorted. "Determined? No, we _will_ become mates and you know that. He told you so, just a couple of days ago, remember?"

"Aren't you a little arrogant brat? Well, I'll leave you two alone then. I'll come back when he's feeling better."

"Why are you coming back? You have no business coming here to see him!"

"We'll see, girl." And with a smile, Kikyo disappeared.


	9. Chapter 9 - Rejection

Chapter 9 – Rejection

Inuyasha woke up the next morning, still feeling a little dizzy, but he had regained his consciousness and Kagome was very happy to see him awake.

"K-Kagome? What happened?"

"Hi…", she said, brushing his bangs away from his forehead and smiling. "You went to a village with Miroku, to fight some yokai. You got bit by a spider. You were unconscious for a few days. You scared me, Inuyasha." She leaned and kissed him on the forehead.

Inuyasha blushed. "I'm sorry, I… didn't expect that many yokai. I was caught off guard. Too many spiders."

"I'm just glad you are okay. Just be more careful the next time. For my sake."

"Keh", he said, blushing again.

"Inuyasha! You're awake", Shippo said, running inside the hut towards the couple.

"Hey, runt. Have you been taking care of those humans while I was out?"

Shippo puffed his chest. "Damn right I have. Don't worry, everything is under control."

"That's right. Shippo has been very useful in taking care of everyone", Kagome said, patting the kit's head.

Shippo grinned. "Okay, I have to get back. The human children are bugging me. They can't get enough of my tricks." Shippo ran out of the hut and Kagome turned to Inuyasha.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Can we go back to our, er, your house now?"

Kagome smiled. "Are you sure you can walk all the way there?"

"Of course I can! Come on."

Inuyasha sat up and tried standing up, but fell on his butt immediately.

"Uh… I think I should wait a few more hours."

"I think you should", Kagome said with a smirk.

After lunch, and with Miroku's assistance, Inuyasha and Kagome headed to her house, walking slowly. The hanyou was truly feeling much better than in the morning and Kagome knew he would be 100% better the next couple of days. After helping Inuyasha to the bedroom and thanking Miroku, Kagome opened the windows and tried cleaning the house a little, since she hadn't been there since Inuyasha and Miroku came home. Inuyasha called her after a few minutes and she stopped sweeping the floor and headed to the bedroom.

"Kagome, I think it wasn't such a good idea coming here", he said, sitting up on the bed, resting his back on the headboard.

"Why not?" She said, sitting on the bed.

"Well, I can't sleep in here. And you can't sleep somewhere else, this is your house. I'll stay until after dinner and then I'm going back to Kaede's."

"No, you're not. I've told you before, I don't care what the villagers think. Besides… have you forgotten about our talk before you left?"

"No, of course I haven't. But still..."

"Inuyasha, you want to be my mate, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" He said looking down and blushing. _Enough with the blushing, dammit! She already knows you want her, she wants you too. What's the problem?_

Kagome smiled. "Okay, so you're staying. And not just for tonight. If we're going to be mates, we will sleep in the same house, won't we?"

Inuyasha looked up at her, eyes filled with love and wonder. "Yes, you're right."

Kagome gave him a wide smile and hugged him. "Good. Because you need to be here, to recover. And you need me to take care of you, don't you?" She said smirking.

"Keh! I don't need no wench to take care of me!" Kagome frowned. "But… I want you to take care of me…"

"Good", she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and walking out of the room. "I'm going outside to pick up a few herbs for dinner. You stay put!" She said from the main room.

Inuyasha snorted and laid down for a nap.

Kagome started dinner and Inuyasha was woken up by the delicious smell. _I could get used to this,_ he thought. He slowly got up and headed to the main room. He was greeted by a bent over Kagome, who was poking at the fire, her behind facing him. _Shit, not now…_

He tried his best to direct his blood flow to his upper head and cleaned his throat. Kagome turned to him with a start and then got up, frowning.

"What do you think you're doing? You can't get up!"

"Not my fault, wench. I'm starving and I smelled food."

"I was going to bring it to you, you should've just waited. Guess that's somewhat impossible to you, isn't it?" She said, getting two bowls from the cabinet.

"Glad to hear you know me well."

They sat down on the table and ate in silence. Kagome then poured him some tea and told him to drink it up. Kaede had handed her a few herbs to help with the hanyou's recovery. He took it, grudging, mumbling something about being fine on his own, and Kagome took the dishes to the large water bowl in the counter. She was washing them when she felt a pair of arms circle her slim waist, bumping her back on a hard chest.

"You know, since I'm staying here… do you think it would hurt if we… slept in the same bed?"

Kagome smiled and felt butterflies on her stomach. She turned to him, grabbing his strong arms, feeling a warmth slowly making its way down her body. "I guess it wouldn't."

Inuyasha nuzzled her neck, burying his nose in her hair. He took a deep breath and whispered in her ear. "Good. Because I think I wouldn't be able to sleep in _our_ bed without you."

Kagome almost melted right there. Hearing him say that something was _theirs_ , instead of hers or his, made her feel a jolt of happiness she had never experienced before. She was smiling and shivering because of his touch and his hot breath on her neck and snuggled his chest, rubbing her cheek on it.

"Inuyasha… I know we almost… became mates the other night", she said, blushing. "And I do want to sleep beside you… on _our_ bed. But… can we go slow, with the whole mating thing?" She paused and then quickly continued when she saw his frown. "I'm not having any doubts! It's just that I'm… afraid, I guess. It's such an important step, and I don't want to ruin it."

He smiled and kissed her softly on the lips. "I understand. We can wait for as long as you want. I just don't know if I'll be able to stop myself if I'm sleeping so close to you. Since the runt is staying at Kaede's until we tell him to move here, I'll stay at his room, okay?"

Kagome nodded and gave him a sad smile. "Okay, if you think it's necessary."

Kagome was lying on her bed that night, regretting telling Inuyasha to wait. After they got closer and he got better from the poisoning, she felt even more attracted to him, like a force was pulling her to him. It was getting harder and harder to stay away from him. She was rolling over restlessly, trying to fall asleep and not think about the object of her thoughts next door.

 _What am I afraid of? I know he won't hurt me and I know that it will be… pleasant. God, I almost gave in after that hug. I just can't bring myself to forget everything that's happened and relax. I'm afraid… of being left. What happened between him and Kikyo? What if she comes back and convinces him to go with her? No, I can't think like that. I know he loves me, even though he hasn't said it. I have to trust him. I just have to work on myself; I can't let my thoughts go that way._

Kagome sighed and stood up. She walked to Inuyasha's room and slowly opened the door. The hanyou was bare-chested, lying on his side, sleeping, and she smiled at his peaceful face. It was a rare sight, seeing him so relaxed, especially in his sleep. She felt the pull even stronger. She couldn't help it anymore. She walked to him and laid on his futon, curling herself beside him, her face on his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin and smelling his manly, woodsy scent. She sighed happily and closed her eyes, not seeing the smile on his face.

#####

Kagome woke up the next day with a deep breath and a soothing feeling. She opened her eyes and saw an arm around her waist, grabbing her possessively. She smiled and turned to the other side, facing a warm smile and gentle, golden eyes.

"Good morning. Slept well?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome yawned and stretched her arms above her head. "Good morning. I slept very well, thank to you. How did you sleep?" She said, rubbing his arm.

"Never slept better", he said, with a smile. "I feel much better, actually. I'm ready to go outside and take a look around. It's been a while since I did a perimeter check. Care to tell me how you ended up on my bed?" He smirked.

"I, uh… I felt lonely on that large bed… Do you think you're good enough to go outside? You weren't doing very well yesterday…" She said, trying to change the subject.

"Keh, I'm much better. Just hungry, though", he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Kagome sighed. "Got the hint, dog-boy."

Inuyasha grinned and followed Kagome to the main room.

The day passed without incident. Kagome and Inuyasha spent time in their house, talking and organizing a few things and made plans to go to the village Inuyasha got the furniture, to purchase a few other things. Kagome was impressed with his ways. He told her about the deal with the village's headman and she was truly proud to know that her partner had the initiative and the skills to arrange such a thing.

They decided to travel the next day and told Sango and Miroku about their plans. The latter offered to go with them, to get a few things that Sango had asked for, and she agreed to stay to take care of her children. Shippo wanted to go too, but was summoned by his kitsune fellows to resume his training.

Early the next day, after spending the night wrapped in each other's arms, dressed, for Inuyasha's frustration, the couple met Miroku at his hut and left to the neighboring village. The trip was quiet and quick, and Inuyasha went to the headman's hut to ask what he wanted him to do, since he was there to acquire a few more items. The man greeted Kagome and Miroku cheerfully, happy to get to know the woman who was so important to the yokai, and told Inuyasha what he needed the hanyou to do. Inuyasha told Kagome that she could ask for anything she wanted from the village's workers and told her he would meet them at lunchtime.

Kagome went to the seamstress, after the headman pointed the direction to her, and Miroku accompanied the miko. Kagome asked for a few yukatas and kimonos, since the only ones she had she had borrowed from Sango. After all, she didn't bring anything with her from the other side of the well, and wanted to repay Sango's generosity and have clothing of her own. Miroku asked the seamstress for some fabric, for Sango to sew some clothes for the children, and they decided to head to the woodworker's hut, since Miroku wanted to surprise Sango with a bed of their own, seeing how impressed she was with the bed Inuyasha had purchased for Kagome.

After meeting Inuyasha for lunch at the headman's house, they said their goodbyes and made their way home. They spent the rest of the day at Sango's and Miroku's hut, playing with the children and telling Sango about their trip, and then Inuyasha and Kagome went to their house for the night.

"I quite enjoyed the day, you know? It was good travelling with you guys, even though the group was incomplete. It reminded me of the old times", Kagome said, smiling, while seasoning a rabbit.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I travelled with Miroku when you were… away. But having you with us made it much more pleasant", Inuyasha said, sitting beside her on the floor, watching her skewer the rabbit.

"We should do it more often. I mean, when someone comes asking for help against yokai, I should come with you guys."

"I don't think that's a good idea, wench."

"Why not? I could help!"

"I would rather if you stayed home, safe."

"Don't you think I would be safer with you? I mean, who knows what might happen with me if I'm left here, all alone…" Kagome was looking innocent and he knew she was playing him but she had a point and Inuyasha knew it.

He eyed her with a fierce look. "You are a sneaky wench, do you know that? Keh, alright, you come with us. But you'll have to train your archery and your defense skills. It's been a while since you fought a demon."

"Alright, duly noted. I'll start my training tomorrow. Care to help?"

"Heh, how else would you be able to train?"

"I could get Miroku to help me…"

"Damn houshi can't even defend himself! No, I'm training you."

"Okay, boss", she said smiling.

The next day Kagome and Inuyasha started training. She had borrowed a bow and arrows from Kaede, and told Inuyasha they should ask for a new set when they went to the other village to get her clothing. Kagome was practicing her archery, shooting at a tree, and Inuyasha would help her by gathering the arrows and returning them to her. After a while he helped her with her defensive skills, making her dodge his claws and feet, making sure she wouldn't get hurt if she failed. She was doing very well for someone so out of practice, in Inuyasha's opinion, and he praised her for her effort.

"Hey, do you think Miroku would help me train my spiritual powers?" She asked during a break, while they drank some water.

"Thinking of purifying your intended mate?" He asked, smirking.

"Maybe, unless you behave… no, I was thinking of asking him to teach me how to build a barrier. That could come in handy."

"Hm, I think you're right. I think you should ask him. I'm sure he'll do it."

Kagome smiled and they resumed their training.

A couple of days had passed and Inuyasha was getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of intimacy with Kagome. He was always happy to cuddle with her every night, and was glad that the villagers hadn't said a thing about them or treated them differently after they started sleeping in the same house, alone. But he craved more, and it was becoming _harder_ for him to suppress his needs.

Kagome knew she was pushing his boundaries by denying him anything beyond a little groping and snuggle, and she was also longing a more intimate touch from him. She was more relaxed about the whole Kikyo issue, and felt she was close to accepting the ultimate demonstration of love from Inuyasha. She decided to tell him she was ready that night, after they got back from the neighboring village to get their stuff. She had asked the seamstress for a special kimono, to wear for Inuyasha when the time came, and she was excited when she saw it had turned out exactly how she had pictured it.

It was red, with pink sakura flowers adorning the whole length. The obi was silver and it fitted her perfectly. She was beyond excited to show it to him and couldn't wait for the night to come. Miroku had gone with them and when they returned, Kagome stayed at his hut to talk to Sango about her plans for the night, while Inuyasha went hunting for their dinner.

It was dusk and Inuyasha still hadn't returned. Kagome was getting worried, since she knew he had no problem getting food, and Sango could sense the miko was thinking about Kikyo.

"Kagome, he told you he doesn't want her. And you know it's true. He only has eyes for you. He might even meet her and talk, but he wouldn't do anything to hurt your feelings."

Kagome was surprised to know how clear her feelings were showing and sighed. "I know, but I still don't feel right. I wonder if Kikyo could do something to get him to go with her. Like a spell or something", Kagome said and then bit her lip.

"I think Inuyasha is smarter than this, Kagome", Miroku said. "Maybe he encountered a villager who needed his help. I'm sure he'll be here at any moment." He smiled at her affectionately and Kagome was glad to hear their reassurances.

Half an hour later, Inuyasha walked in the hut with a couple of fishes.

"Hey! I didn't know you went fishing. I thought you were going to get rabbits or boar."

"I-I changed my mind, if that's okay with you."

He was averting his gaze and didn't look at Kagome even once. She was really worried now and couldn't wait until they were alone to ask him what happened.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No, everything's fine. I'm not really hungry, so I'll go home and wait for you there, okay?" He said, finally glancing at Kagome.

Kagome took a moment to snap out of her anguish and nodded. He nodded back and went outside. Kagome was looking at the floor for a few seconds, a defeated look on her face, when Sango spoke.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Kagome-chan. Maybe he's just in a bad mood."

Kagome stayed silent for a while and then spoke. "He was with her, wasn't he?"

Sango and Miroku stared at each other, speechless, and Kagome stood up. "I'm sorry, I lost my appetite. I'll go talk to him", she said while standing up, giving them a small smile and gathering her things.

On her way home, Kagome's mind was at a hundred miles per hour. She was afraid to ask him what happened, but had really no choice. She opened the front door and didn't see Inuyasha. She went to their room and he wasn't there either. She was getting worried when she opened Shippo's room and then saw him lying there, asleep. She almost cried right there, seeing his obvious rejection, and went to her room, holding the tears until she couldn't anymore. She set her new clothes on her wardrobe, but left the red kimono in the chest, hoping she would get to wear it soon.


	10. Chapter 10 - Settled

Chapter 10 – Settled

Kagome had trouble sleeping after Inuyasha's behavior. She felt as if her whole world had changed drastically, after he obviously pushed her away, figuratively and physically. She knew better than to go to his room, like the previous night, not wanting to be rejected again. She let out a defeated sigh and did her best to get some sleep.

She woke up the next morning to an empty house. She made breakfast and ate alone, trying her best to stay put and wait for Inuyasha to return, until Sango appeared at the front door with her children in tow.

"Good morning, Kagome", she said with a smile.

"Morning, Sango. Hi girls", Kagome answered, trying her best to look content.

"Where's Inuyasha?"

"I… don't know. I came home last night and he was already sleeping in Shippo's room. I woke up today and he was gone. I don't know where he is or what he's doing, but I have a feeling something's wrong."

Sango told her daughters to go play outside while putting her son on the main room's futon. She walked to the table and sat in front of her friend. "He did seem strange last night… did he say anything?"

"No… like I told you, he was sleeping when I came home… even though he doesn't usually sleep early. I think he was trying to avoid me."

"What do you think happened last night?"

"I'm pretty sure I know what happened, even though I have no confirmation", Kagome said, looking down at the table.

"Kikyo?"

"Yes", Kagome said, looking at her hands. "There's really no other explanation to this sudden change in him. Besides, he was a little irritated and distant after I saw them that other day. I just don't know what's going on between them and I hate it", she said with an anger Sango had never seen before in her.

"Don't go thinking the worst just yet. There might be a reason for him be meeting her. And maybe he's been acting like that because he's upset that she's always showing up and making him feel bad."

Kagome snorted. "I hardly think so. And that's what's bugging me, I can't think of a good reason for him to be acting so strange. I know I have to talk to him, but how can I, if he clearly doesn't want to talk to me?"

"Just give him some time and try again. In the mean time, try occupying your mind with something else, instead of sitting and waiting for him to come back. Why don't you go train with Miroku?"

"Yes, I think I should. I'll go talk to him. Thank you, Sango, you really helped", Kagome said with a sincere smile.

Kagome found Miroku in Kaede's hut and told him she would like to train some more. He readily agreed and went to a clearing in the forest with her, afraid they might startle the villagers. Kagome managed to take her mind off Inuyasha and concentrated on her barriers, making progress in her training. Miroku praised her and they went to his hut to have lunch with Sango and the kids.

When they were finishing off their meal, Inuyasha appeared at the door. Kagome looked at him for a second, gave him a small, fake smile, and then turned to her bowl, without saying anything.

"Kagome, can I talk to you?"

Kagome looked up at him and nodded. She said her goodbyes and left the hut beside Inuyasha, walking to their house, not touching each other. She could see from the corner of her eye that he was glancing her way occasionally, but preferred to remain quiet.

Arriving at the house, they sat on the futon of the main room, maintaining a safe distance, and Kagome was looking at the floor, waiting for Inuyasha to start speaking, dreading whatever it was he had to say.

"Kagome, I'm sorry."

She looked at him with sad eyes. "What for?"

"You know, for being awkward last night and leaving this morning without saying anything."

"Oh, okay." She decided to not ask any questions, waiting to see if he would say something willingly.

"I… met Kikyo last night."

Kagome felt the familiar pain in her heart and gulped. _This can't be good._ "And?"

"And we talked. She said she wanted to see if I had gotten better… I told her I was fine. Then she asked me if I wanted to go with her. I said no."

Kagome suppressed a sigh of relief. "And then?"

"Well, I… don't know, exactly. I have to be honest… She hugged me. I don't know for how long, I guess I was just too surprised to see her hugging me. But then I pulled away and told her I'm not going with her…"

Kagome took a deep breath, trying to erase the images on her mind, of her Inuyasha hugging the dead miko. "Did you… enjoy the hug?" She knew she failed in trying to sound cool.

Inuyasha sensed the hurt in her voice. "No…"

"Are you sure? You don't sound too convincing."

"I didn't."

Kagome was not convinced but didn't press any further. "So, what's going to happen now?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"You met her last night and then avoided me at all costs. You refused to sleep beside me and then left me alone for most of the day. So what will happen now? It seems like you're feeling guilty about whatever happened or whatever you felt last night, and if that is so, it means you are having doubts about being with me."

"N-No, I'm not!"

Kagome got up while saying. "That's what it looks like to me. Last night I was going to tell you I was ready to become your mate. But right now, it's clear that we are not ready for it. You need to make up your mind before committing yourself to anyone." She stormed out of the hut and Inuyasha could smell her unshed tears.

He thought about going after her, but decided to stay and let her calm down. He needed to calm down himself and thought he could talk with her later. _What the hell is going on with me, dammit!_ He punched a hole on the floor and then sighed. _Great, now I have a floor to fix._

#####

Kagome stopped at the Well and let go of all the hurt and sadness she was carrying inside since the previous night. She cried and cried, also feeling pain because of the damn closed Well, who kept her from going home to her mom and getting the feeling of protection and love she always felt in her arms. Now, she had to deal with everything herself. She couldn't count on Sango or anyone else. These were her problems to deal with, and the only other person she knew would listen to her and soothe her troubles with a smile and words of wisdom was centuries apart.

She sat on the grass, leaning on the edge of the Well, and imagined she was talking to her mom.

"Oh Mama, what am I suppose to do? I love him _so_ much, I gave up everything just to be with him, and I don't regret my decision. But I can't let myself get hurt and betrayed. It would kill me if he left me. I have to make sure he loves me and wants me, or I won't feel happy."

 _Kagome, trust your heart. Do you really think he would choose her over you?_

"I'm not so sure anymore. I used to think so, after everything we've been through. And when she died the second time, I thought we would be happy and he wouldn't let her come between us again. Why did she have to show up again? Doesn't she know she's making him miserable again? If she truly loved him, she would let him go. Unless… she knows he wants her, not me. But, if I knew he would be happier without me, I would let him go, even though it would kill me…"

 _Do you truly believe that, Kagome? Do you think he loves her more than you? Do you think he loves_ her _more than a friend? Think about it, honey. He's done so much for you, look at the house he built you, how much thought and care he put in it. He told you he wants you to be his mate. He hasn't done any of those things for her._

Kagome smiled and cried at the same time, thinking how a stupid imaginary talk could help her so much. "I guess it's true. He doesn't want her. He wants me. And I have to do something to get him out of this turmoil she's been putting him in." With a renewed energy, she wiped her tears and made her way home. "Thank you, Mama. No matter what, I know you are thinking about me and praying for my happiness."

"Inuyasha?"

He was sitting on the floor, seemingly fixing a problem with it. "Kagome. I… there was a little… thing here, I'm just fixing it."

She gave him a sincere smile. "Okay. I want to tell you something."

"O-Okay."

She sat on the futon and waited for him to turn to her. When he did, she looked at him straight in the eyes. "I want you to know that I'm not giving up on you. Whatever it is you're going through with Kikyo, you have to know I'm willing to help however I can. That is, if you want me to."

Inuyasha was a bit startled but managed to speak. "Kagome… I don't want you to think I'm betraying you or something. But I can't explain what's going on with Kikyo, because I don't know… whenever I see her, something happens and it's like I can't control myself anymore. It's pissing the shit out of me, but I don't know what to do!" He clenched his jaw and fisted his hands. "But I can promise you this. I will _never_ go with her. I'm _not_ leaving and I would never do something to hurt you. I don't want her, I want you, only you."

Kagome almost burst into tears and threw herself in his arms. "I'm so happy and relieved to hear you say that. I was so scared of losing you. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what would become of me if you left me."

Inuyasha buried his nose in her hair, holding her tight to his chest and soothing her back. "I will never leave you. I live because of you."

She pulled out from his embrace and looked at him lovingly. "And I was born to be with you."

He kissed her passionately, grabbing her neck and putting his other hand on her waist, trying to get her as close as possible. One of her hands was on the back of his head while the other caressed his chest. After a few minutes, they finally parted for air and Kagome felt herself relaxing even more when she saw the lustful look in his eyes.

"Kagome, I want your help, but I don't know how you can…"

"I know. I'll come with you whenever she comes. That way, I'll make sure she keeps her distance and I hope she feels a little bit intimidated with my presence. She has to stop thinking you'll go with her and she has to stop coming and bothering us."

Inuyasha smiled. "Okay, it's settled then."

They were still holding hands and Inuyasha was about to pull her for another kiss when a yokai came bursting through the door.

"Inuyasha! Kagome!"

Kagome was startled and Inuyasha let out a growl. "What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing, runt?"

Shippo's bright eyes and grin disappeared and he held his hands together, making circles on the floor with a paw. "Did I… interrupt you guys?"

"Of course you did! You don't come running inside like that! You scared the shit out of Kagome and I could've slashed you into two pieces with the Tessaiga!"

"S-Sorry, Inuyasha… sorry, Kagome." He had tears in his eyes and Kagome stretched her arms to him.

"That's okay, Shippo, just don't do it anymore, okay? Knock first or walk in slowly", she said, smiling, while cuddling him.

"Alright. Hey, I wanted to ask you guys… when can I move in… I know I'm away most of the time, training, but I just got back and I don't want to stay at Kaede's anymore… she started farting in her sleep", he said with a disgusted face.

"Ha! I should keep you there for a while, for you to learn not to come barging in like that!"

"Inuyasha, that's not cool. Shippo, you can move in. You already have a room that is ready for you, and we are your guardians… or something like that, so you're welcome here."

Shippo gave her the biggest smile and hugged her neck. "Thank you! I'll go get my stuff and be right back!"

Inuyasha was looking at Kagome with a scowl. "Don't you think you should ask me about that first?!"

Kagome made an innocent face and stood up to make some tea. "What's there to ask? He'll live with us, _you_ built him a room, and besides, we are sleeping on the same bed, aren't we?" She was still not looking at him and he knew it was a trick question.

"Keh! You're the one to decide that. I said I can't promise to behave if I'm sleeping next to you and you're the one who wants to _wait."_

Kagome sighed. "I know. But whose fault it is, that we didn't mate last night?" She turned to him and he blushed furiously.

"I-I'm sorry." His ears drooped and he looked at his lap.

"That's okay. We'll just have to wait for another opportunity."

"It could be today, if it wasn't for the runt! And you're the one who invited him!"

"And I'm not taking the invitation back, so just deal with it. Hey, there's something I've been meaning to ask you…"

Inuyasha was still looking down and frowning. "What?" He said, looking up to her.

Kagome sat next to him and he could see her face as red as his haori. "What if… I mean, how do we… I'm just curious about… children."

Inuyasha frowned again. "What about them?"

Kagome sighed. "Well, if we mate, we might be having one, right?"

His eyes widened and he averted his gaze. "I… no, not exactly. I can make sure you don't get pupped, if that's what you want."

He sounded a little offended and Kagome knew what he thought. "It's not that I don't want to have children!"

"Pups."

"Right, pups. It's not that, it's just that I don't know if we should have them right now. Don't you want to wait a little bit, to just be us, before there's someone else?"

Inuyasha smirked. "Yeah, I guess so… so, you really want to have my pups?" His eyes were desperate and she was sad to see how little he thought of himself. He probably didn't believe anyone would want to have his babies and she couldn't help but think how he had suffered throughout his life, how much rejection he faced.

"Inuyasha… how can you think otherwise? I love you and I want chil… pups, and I want them to have you as a father. And I want them to have your ears as well."

He looked at her with a surprised expression and she was smiling. He jumped on her and they fell on the futon, his body covering hers and the biggest smile on his face. He pushed his lips to hers and they lost each other to the moment of passion and happiness they were experiencing, only parting when Shippo knocked lightly on the door, holding his toys.

"Hey Shippo, I guess you're finally moving in", Kagome said, smiling at the excited kit.

"Yes! I have a home!"

Kagome smiled and tried her best to ignore Inuyasha's sour mood, although she did understand his frustration. "Shippo, do you know when you have to go back to your training?"

Shippo looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Uh… in a couple of weeks. Why?"

Kagome tried her best to hide her disappointment. After talking to Inuyasha, she felt much better and didn't want to wait any longer to become his mate. Especially now that he had given her "permission" to accompany him to his meetings with Kikyo, she felt she would feel better and more powerful if she faced her as Inuyasha's mate. "Oh, nothing. I was just curious", she said, looking at Inuyasha and winking at him, behind Shippo's back. "But don't worry, you are welcome to stay here for as long as you want and whenever you want."

"Oi! That's not exactly true! You might have to stay at Kaede's once in a while", Inuyasha protested.

Kagome glared at him and he flinched. Then, she sighed and gave up. After all, it was Inuyasha's house as well, and he was the alpha male. Besides, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to have the house to themselves whenever they felt like it. "Shippo, I can't argue with Inuyasha about that. He's the boss. But it won't happen too often, I promise."

Inuyasha's mouth fell to the ground and Kagome walked up to him, while Shippo went to his room, smiling. "What's the matter?" She asked, putting a finger under his chin and closing his gaping mouth.

"Did you just… did you just submit to _me_?!"

"I guess I did. Why? Does it matter?"

"Of course it does, wench! You've never done that! _And_ you called me the alpha male. Of course that's true, I just didn't know if you knew it", he said, smirking.

"Hey, don't go gloating like that yet. There are certain things I won't put up with, but I have to respect your wishes as well, don't I?"

"Damn right you have! Keh! If I knew it would be that easy to get you to submit to me, I would've already ma-"

"Hey, what's for dinner?"

Inuyasha growled. "You are really getting thumped soon, runt."

Shippo looked confused. "Inuyasha, why don't you take Shippo hunting? You might help him with it, so that he can catch us dinner occasionally", Kagome said, putting an end to the awkward interruption.

"Keh. Let's go, kit."

Shippo jumped with joy towards the door and Inuyasha smiled at Kagome before following him.

Kagome couldn't believe how happy she was to have settled things with Inuyasha. Waiting for him and Shippo bring their dinner, she decided to cook some rice and set the table for them. After half an hour, they brought two fat rabbits, Shippo glowing with pride while holding one of the animals.

"Look what I got, Kagome!"

"Wow, that's a really big rabbit, Shippo! Well done!"

"Yeah, the kit has been learning some hunting skills with his friends. I just had to clean up the rabbits."

"That's very impressive, Shippo. It's good to know we can count on you to bring home some food. Now, let's get the cooking going."

After skewering the rabbits and putting them above the fire, they sat on the futon and talked until it was time to eat. They enjoyed their meal and Kagome, in true motherly fashion, told Shippo it was time to go to bed. He protested a little, but obeyed when Inuyasha told him he was under their rules now, as his guardians. When Shippo left the room, Kagome took Inuyasha's hand, smiling, and led him to their bedroom.

"Do you think you can wait a couple of weeks? I don't think it's a good idea doing… that with him so near."

"I have no other choice now, have I? Keh, yes, I can wait… but do you really think we should sleep on the same futon for two weeks? I could always sleep on the roof."

"Well, we can try, but if it gets… uh… difficult for you to… control yourself, you can go to the roof…"

Inuyasha smirked. "Okay wench, you win."

Inuyasha left the room momentarily, for Kagome to change into her sleeping yukata, and then went back to the room when she said it was ok. He took off his haori and juban and laid next to her, grinning when he caught her admiring his chest. She laid on her side with her back to his chest and grabbed his hand, draping it over her waist. They both let out a content sigh and fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11 - Fixing

Chapter 11 - Fixing

It had been a week and a half since Inuyasha and Kagome made up. After that, no sights of Kikyo were reported and Inuyasha didn't act strange, not even once. He was back to his normal self: grudging, short-fused, impatient, self. Kagome couldn't be happier.

As the days went by, they got even closer to each other and slept together every night, except for one, when Inuyasha felt he would lose his self control if he continued to lay with her, touching her without removing her clothes and feeling her scent, but not doing anything more. That night he went to the roof, mumbling and cursing, but, after a while, he figured he would have to take matters into his own hands, literally, and went to the forest.

Shippo was set to leave the next day and Inuyasha was busy "making something", as he told Kagome. He didn't want her to know what it was and told her to keep away from the house and not come back until he said so. He told her to go to Sango's house and spend the night there, since he thought it would take him all day and all night to "fix" what he wanted to fix.

Kagome protested and pouted, but since she knew tomorrow night was the first night they would be alone, she thought it might have something to do with it and smiled, thinking he was really sweet to be thinking of something for her on that one special night. She kissed him goodbye, lingering for a few seconds, leaving a light-headed hanyou.

"Oi, runt! Get your ass in here", he yelled, after Kagome was gone. He could smell Shippo nearby and could use some help.

"What?" Shippo answered, stopping at the front door.

"Did you clean up your room?" Inuyasha was on his haunches, gathering some things on the floor.

"Yes, why?" Shippo asked with a raised brow.

"Because you're leaving tomorrow and I would like for you to keep your shit in place. Kagome wouldn't want to have to deal with _your_ mess and I don't want her to be _busy_ doing that."

Shippo sighed. "My room's clean. Can I go now?"

"Yes, get out."

After Shippo was gone, Inuyasha started analyzing something on the door. _First step: done._ He thought, smirking.

Kagome was helping Sango with the laundry when Miroku came in.

"Hello girls. How are you two in this fine morning?" He said smiling.

Kagome just smiled back at him and Sango sighed. "What do you want, monk?"

"I just came by to admire your beauty, my dear Sango, and see what you two are up to. Any news, Kagome-chan?"

Sango glared at him, but Kagome answered. "No, Miroku." She knew what he was asking and did her best not to blush and didn't even look at him when she spoke.

"Ah, I see. Well, I guess I should be leaving them, heh." He knew he wasn't going to get the information he wanted and staying there would only get him in a bigger trouble. He stood up and waved at them.

"Stop right there, Miroku. You take the kids, Kagome and I are going to the hot springs."

Miroku sighed but knew he couldn't get out of it. "Okay, dear."

The women made their way to the hot spring, passing by Kagome's and Inuyasha's house to spy, getting a loud "GO AWAY!" from the hanyou. They dipped their feet in the water and relaxed when they settled in comfortably.

"So, like you were saying before Miroku interrupted us, you think he's doing something for tomorrow night?"

"Ah, yes. Well, why else would he want me away from the house the whole day? I don't know, I might be wrong, we both know Inuyasha is not the romantic type, but…"

"But he's never had a mate, right?" Sango said, smiling.

Kagome smiled back. "I guess not… he is a lot sweeter when it's just the two of us, but I guess after we… mate, things will be different, won't they?"

Sango nodded solemnly. "Yes, they most definitely will. But that's a good thing. You two have waited a long time to be together, and while it might be difficult to become lovers after so many years of friendship, most of them being spent apart, the love you two have for each other will ease the transition. And after that, it will only get better", Sango said, smiling.

Kagome looked at her friend, thinking about how much she waited to be with Inuyasha, and had to agree. Their relationship and their life would only get better, now that they were reunited and Kikyo had been dealt with.

After soaking for a couple of hours, Kagome and Sango headed back to the latter's hut, again passing by the former's house, and, _again,_ getting yelled at. They met Shippo on their way and he told them he was going to leave at dawn and asked to sleep at Sango's, since Inuyasha had thrown a hissy fit when he asked if he could spend the night in his and Kagome's house.

They started dinner and Inuyasha joined them a short time after. Kagome smiled and kissed him on the cheek when he came in, and he blushed and pretended to not care, after he saw Sango's and Miroku's gazes. Kagome knew he wasn't fond of public displays of affection, but she couldn't help herself from feeling extremely happy to see him.

"Hey, how's the… work going?" Kagome asked him.

They were all sitting and starting to eat and Inuyasha spoke with a mouthful of fish, not looking at her. "Good."

"That's all you're going to say, isn't it?"

"Yep."

Kagome smiled and went back to eating.

The group discussed all sorts of things, never mentioning what Inuyasha was doing in the house. They talked about how calm things had been, how they hadn't heard of any attacks lately, and, although it seemed odd, they were glad to have a little time off. Sango complained, saying how much she missed all the action since her twins were born, and Kagome told her she could stay with the kids when something came up, so that Sango could go. Miroku wasn't too happy about that, but said it was something they would discuss when the opportunity came, but Sango, as well as the others, knew she would get her way.

Inuyasha stood up, ready to leave, and Kagome said she would walk him to the edge of the village. They held each other's hand and Kagome would occasionally brush her arm on his, desperate to be closer to him.

"So, you really think everything will be done by tomorrow?"

"Yes, absolutely."

Kagome smiled and stopped walking. She figured they were in a private enough spot, and it was as good as they could get at that moment. She was holding both of his hands and leaned on him, kissing him softly. She wanted much more than a soft kiss, but she figured Inuyasha wouldn't want that, out in the open, even with no one around. She was afraid he was going to push her away anyway, but she couldn't wait any longer. Spending the whole day without him and knowing what would happen the next day made her very anxious and very willing to be close to him, to feel him and touch him.

She was very surprised when he not only didn't push her away, but also kissed her back, letting go of her hands and putting his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him. Kagome's knee almost bucked and she gave in to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and tilting her head to the side, to deepen the kiss. She heard him groan in approval and almost gasped in his mouth when she felt him getting hard. He was ready and so was she.

After a couple of minutes they parted. Inuyasha was almost panting and leaned his forehead on hers. "Tomorrow. One more day."

Kagome smiled broadly, thinking she would burst with happiness. "I know."

He kissed her lips once again and ran off. Kagome stayed outside for a little longer, sighing and thanking God for everything He had given her. Her life was almost perfect and she couldn't ask for more. She just had to wait another day.

Kagome didn't get much sleep that night. She was too anxious, too excited. This would probably be the best day of her life and she couldn't wait to see Inuyasha. He had told her she could come by after lunch. So she had waved Shippo goodbye at dawn and had to spend the whole morning fidgeting, biting her lip and pacing around.

"Kagome, calm down!" Sango told her. "Here, hold this child for me, maybe you'll two will be good for each other." She handed Seichii to her. He had been giddy all morning, wanting to play and explore, and Sango had her hands full already, cleaning her hut. Kagome nodded and smiled at the baby. It was a good distraction, that lasted for about half an hour.

"Sango, I can't wait anymore. I'm going", she said, handing the baby back to his mother.

"But Kagome! You'll ruin the surprise!"

"I don't care! All I want is him, not some surprise!" She was already at the door when Sango grabbed her arm.

"I have an idea. Don't you think you would like to take a bath before? And don't you think it would be better if you took that bath _away_ from him, so that when he sees you you'll be ready?"

Kagome stared at her grinning friend and scowled at her. "You're right. Damn you!"

Sango chuckled and called Miroku, who, wisely, obeyed his wife's orders and stayed with the children.

After a short bath, Kagome's nerves were better, but she still wanted to go straight to her house. Sango thought it was as good as it was going to get and, besides, it was almost lunchtime, so Inuyasha couldn't get too angry. She left Kagome near the house and went to her own, promising not to let anyone bother them for the next few days and winked.

Kagome took a long breath and headed to the front door. It was closed and she couldn't hear anything coming from the inside. She pushed the door and it was… locked? _What the…_

Before she could knock, she heard sounds coming from the inside and the door opened.

"I knew you would sneak in, sneaky wench", he said with a smirk.

She got butterflies in her stomach just by seeing him, but she was too curious to just stand there and daydream. "What did you do, Inuyasha?"

He grinned and took her in. "See for yourself."

Kagome got in and Inuyasha closed the door. There was a makeshift lock on it, made of wood, and, again, she was in awe of his skills. He really could fix anything. "How did you do this?"

Inuyasha was a little flustered, seeing how she was looking at him, with admiration. "Keh. It's not like no one's ever done it before."

"I know, but it's not usual to see those around… but I guess I know why you wanted something like this in here and I approve it", she said with a blush and a smile.

Inuyasha did the same, but turned around so that she couldn't see his face. He took her hand again and showed her to their room. He had gathered flowers for her and put them in vases he had gotten from the villagers, placing them in various places around the house. She also noticed the house was clean and everything was in place. When they got to the room, the bed was neatly arranged, with new pillows and fresh sheets, and the light breeze flowed through the curtain. Kagome saw a small box on the bed and she turned to him, with the happiest face he had ever seen on her.

"Did you do all of this… for me?"

Inuyasha's blush darkened. "Who else would I do it for?"

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He pushed her away slowly and she grunted.

"There's something else. Go open it", he said, gesturing to the box on the bed.

She looked at him and walked to the bed, taking and opening the box. She gasped when she saw a beautiful hair comb. Truthfully, she never wore those. But he had never given her a present and the gesture touched her more than she could expect. She turned to him with tears falling from her eyes.

"Inuyasha… it is so beautiful. Thank you." She kissed him and then looked at the comb again, analyzing it thoroughly.

"Keh. It's no big deal. I know people in your era give presents all the time and I know the husband gives something to the wife when they get married. Although we are not married, we are going to be mates, so… I wanted to give you something."

She was wiping the tears from her eyes. _So that's why he went to that village last week and told me not to come. He was looking for something for me… he'll probably have to work his butt off to pay for it, but he did it anyway, without me even asking…_

"Inuyasha, you didn't need to do this. I don't need anything, you know that. I have all I need."

"Did you not like it? Because I can take it back and get you something else." He averted his gaze and looked hurt.

"No, of course not! It's mine now and I _love_ it. I just don't want to cause you trouble, that's all."

"Keh! You call this trouble? No, trouble would be making a wench sad, trouble would be making a wench cry. Wenches like presents. So there you go." She smiled and carefully put the comb back in its box, then put in on her dresser and turned to Inuyasha.

"You have a very, very happy wench."

He smiled. "Good. It didn't take me all this time to get everything done, but I wanted to make you wait a few more hours." He was grinning and Kagome knew it wasn't true. He was probably just nervous and wanted to calm down before meeting her. He leaned down to kiss her when…

"INUYASHA!"

"For the love of… WHY do they hate me? WHY? Every FUCKING time! And I thought the lock would be enough!"

"I know, but we have to see what's going on", Kagome said, while following Inuyasha out the door, trying to find Miroku.

"What the fuck, monk?!"

Miroku was panting. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. But that village… the one we promised to look after… a man just came running here, he's almost dying. Kaede is taking care of him, but we need to go, now. A lot of yokai… but no spiders, thankfully."

Inuyasha growled and cursed, until Kagome took his arm. "Hey, I'm going with you guys. We'll take care of it right away and get back soon."

"No, you stay. You wait here for me. I'll be right back." He kissed her and told the monk to follow him.

Kagome went inside, dejectedly, and threw herself on the bed. "Not again… is this some kind of sign or something?" She groaned and decided to take a nap. She hadn't slept much the previous night and she wanted to be _very_ much awake when Inuyasha got back. So she slept and she dreamed…

#####

Kagome ran as fast as she could. The cold air filled her lungs and pushed her forward. She never looked back. She couldn't even think of her friends. She just wanted to escape the pain, the absolute devastation she felt. Her biggest fear was right in front of her face: Inuyasha didn't love her. He loved Kikyo.

She got to the Well and immediately jumped. It had to work. Fate couldn't be that cruel; it had already kept her from the place she wanted to be and now it couldn't deny her her only option, the only thing that would soothe her pain. She didn't know what she would do if she couldn't go back to her era. Staying would be torture. She didn't have a place, a home there, if it wasn't by his side.

So she jumped. She prayed and closed her eyes, pleading to the Gods. Her feet touched the ground and she closed her eyes. She looked up to absolute darkness, but the smells gave it away. She was home.


	12. Chapter 12 - Snap

A/N: I just wanted to warn you guys that when the lemons come, I will be posting them here. MediaMiner has been having some problems and I've seen plenty of explicit fics here on FFN, so I guess that's okay…? And I also don't like warning people there will be a lemon in the chapter in the beginning. I will do so in the middle of the chapter, when the lemon begins. It's not fun to know there will be a lemon before reading the chapter, people! And thanks for the reviews, keep 'em coming!

Chapter 12 – Snap

Inuyasha was holding Kikyo in his arms, kissing her. The kiss was a portrait of Kikyo herself. Empty and emotionless. Still, he couldn't get away. He felt no desire to push her away. But he didn't want to be there either.

 _This doesn't feel right. Something's missing… what is it?_

He heard a loud gasp. He felt Kikyo smiling. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind, like a snap. That gasp. Someone was there. He could feel it was someone important, someone he wanted to be close to. Someone he could never hurt, never leave. He felt something pushing him away from the woman he was kissing, pulling him to the other person's direction. But he still couldn't let go. It was like he was stuck to that person, glued.

Then he heard steps running to the opposite direction, away from him. He tried to free himself, but he felt weak, vulnerable, helpless. He smelled tears and felt pain in his heart. _No, I have to get away!_

He was using all his might when a name came to his mind.

 _Kagome._

He finally broke free. He looked up at Kikyo and saw her smirk.

"What's wrong, Inuyasha? Are you ready to go? We can go now."

He stared down at the grass with a frown and then looked at Kikyo. "Yes, I'm ready." He ran away from the dead priestess and followed Kagome's scent.

 _Please, don't let it be too late. What the_ fuck _have I done?_

He ran and ran, leaping and screaming her name. When he finally saw her, her back faced him. She had just gotten to the Well and was sitting on the edge, with her legs dangling, like she was about to leap inside. _No. No!_ He was still screaming her name when she jumped. He saw a bright blue light and fell to his knees, howling.

Sango woke up with a start, almost jumping out of her futon. Miroku was instantly awake, being used to waking up in the middle of the night to tend to his children.

"Sango, what?"

"Did you hear that? It sounded like Inuyasha. He was howling. Something happened."

Miroku got up. "I'll go to their house to check on them. Stay here with the children, ok?" Sango was scared and had a feeling something really bad had happened, but she had to stay.

Sango nodded and Miroku left, running.

He got to the house quickly and, panting, he knocked on the door. He didn't want to barge in and see the occupants in a somewhat awkward position. Maybe the howling was just the screams of their passion. That's what he was hoping for, and not in a lecherous way.

No one answered. He heard screams coming from the Well's direction. He ran and saw Inuyasha, leaning on the edge of the Well, screaming Kagome's name.

"Kagome! Come back, please! Kagome, I'm sorry!"

Before Miroku could say anything, Inuyasha jumped. He heard a thump and realized what had just happened. He was instantly afraid for his friend. He had never seen the hanyou so desperate and knew that Kagome, especially after she came back, was like the air Inuyasha breathed. He also knew that, if she willingly jumped, which seemed to be the case, something really serious must have happened with them, because he knew it would take a lot to make Kagome leave him.

Inuyasha appeared again, jumping out of the Well, and then jumped in again. He tried the portal a few times, never resting, jumping in and out like a maniac. He would still occasionally call for Kagome and Miroku decided to intervene.

"Inuyasha, it was Kikyo, wasn't it?"

Inuyasha answered, not looking at the monk. "Yes."

He was now leaning on the edge, looking devastated and exhausted.

"She's not coming back, is she?" Inuyasha asked.

"I don't know, my friend…" Miroku knew it was highly unlikely, but decided it wasn't the right time to be honest.

"I messed up. I really messed up. I got up in the middle of the night and followed Kikyo's soul catchers. She was waiting for me in a clearing. She held her arms out for me and suddenly she was kissing me. I don't remember how I got to her. I just realized what I was really doing when I heard Kagome. And when I snapped out of whatever the hell was going on with me, she was running and… she was gone. She didn't even looked back." Inuyasha was still not looking at Miroku. His voice was different, anyone could tell he was crushed.

Miroku pondered Inuyasha's words and decided to investigate a little more. "Inuyasha, did you want to kiss Kikyo?"

Inuyasha looked up at Miroku and glanced at him. "The hell? Of course not!"

"Uh… then why were you?"

"I don't know! I don't _fucking_ know! I never wanted to go see her, to kiss her… nothing! Kagome's the only one that I want." He laid on the grass and covered his eyes with his hands and Miroku thought he would cry. It was clear Inuyasha was feeling a lot of pain, even more than what he felt when he got physically hurt.

"I'm sorry for pushing this, Inuyasha, but we have to understand what's going on. Do you think… do you think Kikyo would be capable of putting a spell on you, somehow?"

Inuyasha looked up at Miroku with a startle, sitting up. "What?"

Miroku sat next to him. "Well, I have heard of spells that can numb a person, make them do and say things without them even realizing. And Kikyo is an experienced priestess; she might know how to do this kind of thing. And, from what you've been telling us, she seems desperate to have you, like she could be capable of extreme measures to achieve her goal."

Inuyasha pondered for a moment, looking down. "I think she is capable of doing shit like this. I think she wouldn't give up on her revenge against me easily. If that was the way she came up with to make me go to hell with her, then she would do it. That disgraceful woman… after everything that I've done for her…"

Miroku patted Inuyasha's shoulder. "Now we have to find a way to break this spell… and to get Kagome home."

#####

When they reached Kaede's the sun had already risen. Sango was at the old woman's hut, waiting for them with her kids.

"Miroku, Inuyasha. Where's Kagome?" She had been worried sick. She knew something was very wrong and was expecting the worst.

"Kagome jumped in the Well… and Inuyasha couldn't", Miroku answered.

Inuyasha slumped on the floor, looking miserable, thinking about every encounter he had had with Kikyo. How could he have let her do this? It was his fault and the price he was going to pay was probably losing Kagome.

Sango turned to the hanyou fuming. "What the HELL have you done to her this time? It must have been something extremely awful for her to do such thing, especially without even saying goodbye!"

Miroku reached for her. "Calm down, Sango. We think we have an explanation."

Kaede was watching the argument in silence. She knew Kikyo was involved and she knew it wasn't going to be good. "What has my sister done, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha had been looking at the floor the whole time. He seemed to be somewhere else, a frown indicating he was deep in thought. He looked at Kaede with a sad expression, but turned away again, averting his gaze. He couldn't say it. He felt too stupid.

"I think she has put a spell on Inuyasha, Kaede-sama."

Kaede and Sango gasped and Inuyasha's frown was back in place. "How so, Miroku-sama?" Kaede asked.

"Inuyasha said he didn't know how he always seemed to forget what he did when he saw Kikyo. He also felt numb when he was with her. I think she was trying to get him to go with her, by manipulating him with a spell. So, Kagome caught them kissing and-"

Miroku was interrupted by a loud thump. "You disgusting son of a bitch! How could you do this to her?! Oh my God, poor Kagome, she's probably crying non stop, I can't even imagine what she's going through right now…"

Sango was standing beside Inuyasha, looking down at him and rubbing her knuckles. Inuyasha was rubbing his head, but didn't look angry, just sad.

"Sango, dear, please calm down. It wasn't his fault. He didn't want to kiss her, he tried getting away. He finally was able to push Kikyo away when he heard Kagome… but it was too late, she had already jumped in the Well when he got to her."

Sango was pacing, trying to calm down. "We have to find that bitch and kill her for good! And we have to find a way to get Kagome to come back!" She suddenly remembered whose house she was in and blushed. "I'm sorry, Kaede-sama. I know she's your sister, but-"

"No offense was taken, child. My sister has been long gone, as you know, and what she's done now proves that she must be stopped."

Sango nodded and turned to Inuyasha. "I'm… sorry for punching you."

Inuyasha looked up at her and his expression made her feel even worse. "You had every right to do it. You can beat me all you want, I deserve it."

Kaede was pouring some tea and handing the cups to her guests, and then she sat beside Inuyasha, putting his cup in front of him. "Inuyasha, ye must not blame yourself. You had no way to know my sister was causing you harm. She is the only one to blame. But I have to warn ye. This kind of spell only works on certain people."

Inuyasha looked at her with a worried expression. "What do you mean?"

"Well, in order for you to go with her, she knew she had to separate you and Kagome first. Most likely, she was focusing on doing that, because she also knew that, once you and Kagome were not together, you would be more willing to go with her. So you treated Kagome badly when you returned from your encounters with Kikyo, right?" Inuyasha nodded dumbly. "So the spell worked to separate you two and to numb you enough so that you wouldn't realize what you were doing with her. This spell can only work when the people involved, you and Kagome, have weak hearts."

Inuyasha frowned. "What do you mean 'weak hearts', old hag?!"

Kaede sighed and ignored the curse. "It means you and Kagome doubted each other. I know you both love each other dearly, but that love was never pure. It has always been tainted with doubt and fear."

Inuyasha's eyes were filled with sadness and desperation. _So it really is my fault. I always doubted Kagome's love for me… I could never convince myself I was worthy of it and I always gave her reason to doubt my feelings for her. I'm the stupidest person in the world!_

"Now, ye must find Kikyo, but you have to go with Miroku. I can make some sutras that will repel this evil spell, and he is the one who has to put them on her. He must not be seen by her. Ye have to fool her, make her think you decided to go with her, so Miroku can do his job. Miroku, I will teach you the incantations."

Miroku nodded. "Now we just need to look for her… and then do everything we can to bring Kagome back."

Inuyasha nodded and went outside, waiting for the monk to say his goodbyes. Once Miroku was done, they left to the forest, hoping they could get a hint of where Kikyo had gone to.

#####

They had been travelling for three days when they finally saw the soul catchers. Inuyasha snarled and was crouching down to leap to the trees and follow them when Miroku put a hand on his arm.

"Inuyasha, remember, I have to go with you and we can't let her see me. We have to walk slowly in her direction and then you have to distract her and make her turn her back to me, so that I can do my job. Be careful, don't let your emotions get in the way. This is the way it has to be done. And you have to keep your distance from her, otherwise she will pull you to her."

"Keh. I know, monk. You stay behind me and I'll make her turn around before you come too close."

Miroku nodded and they walked slowly, following the flying yokais.

Inuyasha finally sighted Kikyo. She was obviously waiting for him and her expression was as bland as always.

"Inuyasha, I'm glad you could come."

Inuyasha was circling her and she was following him, until they stopped, once her back was to the direction he came from. "You bitch! I know what you've done! You put a spell on me, to ruin my relationship with Kagome! How can you be so selfish, after all I've done for you? You've become an evil person, Kikyo. You, a former priestess!"

"I'm evil? Don't forget how much I suffered because of you and how I gave my life for you, twice. Besides, you're the one who promised to go to hell with me. I'm just making sure you fulfill your duty."

"My duty to you was to make sure you were safe and you know it. I know I failed, but I tried my best, and, in the end, our goal was to kill Naraku and we did it. It was a sacrifice you knew you would do if you had to and I'm sorry it had to happen that way, but it did. Now, instead of moving on and finding peace, you come back and try to ruin people's lives, people who deserve to be happy, after all they've been through. I deserve to be happy! Kagome deserves it too, more than me! Why can't you let go and be happy for us? If you once loved me, you would wish me well." Inuyasha could see, from the corner of his eyes, Miroku approaching, but made sure not to look at him.

"I deserve to be happy more than any of you. _I_ was the one who had to sacrifice myself, TWICE, for you to defeat Naraku. Now why can't I have my happy ending? Why do I have to be the only one to suffer, Inuyasha?"

"Like I said, I didn't want for you to have died. I wanted you to live and be happy. But that's the way it was and we couldn't do anything about it. So I ask you to _please_ go and leave us alone, because if you keep getting in our way, I will have to send you to hell myself." Even after everything he was going through, saying those words to Kikyo clenched his heart. He didn't want to make her suffer, but if that's what he had to do to get rid of her, he would.

Miroku was almost reaching the clearing in which Kikyo and Inuyasha were in when he bumped into something invisible, making him fall on his behind. Inuyasha's eyes widened and Kikyo smirked, not turning back to see the fallen monk.

"Do you really think you can fool me, Inuyasha? I knew you were coming with him and I knew what you two planned on doing. But I won't let you do it. I've put a barrier and I will continue to do so whenever we meet. For now, I'll leave you two to calm down and then I'll come back and get you, whether you want it or not. Until next time, dear Inuyasha."

Kikyo's soul catchers surrounded her and lifted her off the ground, carrying her deeper into the forest. After she was gone, the barrier was broken and Miroku approached Inuyasha.

"Dammit! Evil bitch!"

Miroku sighed. "Calm down, my friend. We will find another way, there's got to be another option. Let's go back and talk to Kaede. She knows Kikyo better than us and she also might know another way of breaking the spell."

Inuyasha growled, but he knew Miroku was right. All the way to the village he wouldn't stop thinking about Kagome. It was killing him, not only being 500 years apart from her, but to also know that she was in a lot of pain and it was all because of him.

 _Kagome… I will get you back. You belong with me and I will do anything to get your forgiveness and to make it up to you, every single day of our lives._

#####

It was two in the morning. It had been five days since Kagome had left. She was crying again and she was trying hard to muffle the sounds with her pillow. Since she saw Inuyasha and Kikyo kissing she couldn't sleep for more than two hours. She would cry herself to sleep every night and then she would wake up and cry some more. In the first couple of days her mother would come to her room and try to soothe her, and then she would go back to sleep. Only to wake up a couple of hours later, crying.

She felt bad about bothering her mother so much, so that's why she was now resorting to the pillow. She knew she was hurting too, just seeing her daughter in that state. She was concerned for her health and told Kagome she would take her to see a doctor, to make sure she at least got some sleep. Kagome didn't want to go, she thought she had to handle this on her own. But she was beginning to see it was hopeless. She was feeling sick, physically and mentally, and she needed a break.

That night, she decided she was going to ask for help.

That decision made her feel calmer and she slept until 6am. She woke up, let a few tears roll down her face, and went to the bathroom to take a bath. When she was done, she went downstairs to talk to her mom.

"Good morning, sweety. Did you manage to sleep well?"

"Good morning, mama. I slept better, yes. But I think you are right. I should go see someone. I can't stay like this any longer." She took a seat on the table and folded her arms on top of it, laying her head on them.

Her mom smiled sadly and touched one of her arms. "I'm glad to hear that, honey. I think it will help you and it's only temporary. You'll get better faster and then everything will be okay again."

"Okay mama. I'm not feeling too well, I'm going back to bed, okay?"

"Don't you want to eat something first?"

"No, not now."

"Okay. I'll call the doctor and set an appointment, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, mama."

Kagome was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling above her bed.

 _She thinks I can get over this. She thinks things will be back to normal again. How so? How can I go back after everything that happened there? We were together, officially together. We had a house! We were intimate and we were about to become mates! And then I saw them… God, I can never forget that scene… I always shudder just thinking about it. And now I have to live without him, knowing he never truly loved me. After all he said… how could he do this?_

She began crying again, quietly.

 _My God… how is it possible? I've gone from having everything I wanted to having nothing. No, that's unfair. I still have my family. But without him… I can never be happy without him and that's the truth. I just wanted to know why. Why he lied so much, just to be with her. What did he want from me? What did he get from being with me? He could've gone with her the first time and-_

A thought went through her head and the crying stopped.

 _He told me…_

Flashback

 _"I can promise you this. I will_ never _go with her. I'm_ not _leaving and I would never do something to hurt you. I don't want her, I want you, only you."_

End of flashback

 _I saw the look on his face when he told me that. He couldn't be lying. I refuse to believe he did. But why… how…._

It suddenly hit her. _He couldn't help it._


	13. Chapter 13 - From the Sealed Well to

Chapter 13 – From the Sealed Well to the Feudal Age

"So she just left?"

"Yes."

"But did you feel like you were under her spell this time?"

Inuyasha paused and pondered. "Actually, no, I don't think I did." Sango frowned. "I think I could feel something… but I was able to fight it, easily."

"I guess that shows that my sister's primary concern was to separate you and Kagome. Now that she succeeded, the spell does not need to be as strong. And, since now you know the truth, it is probably easier for you to fight it", Kaede said.

"I think you are right, Kaede-sama", Miroku said, entering the hut. "Now, what is left for us to do is find a way to get Kagome to come back. We can deal with Kikyo when the time comes and I don't think she would accomplish her goals if Kagome was here, now that we all know what her intentions are."

"So what do we do?! I can't wait any longer, we have to find some way to get to Kagome! Old hag, what do we do?"

Kaede sighed. "I do not know, Inuyasha. You were the only one who could travel to her time. After the Well closed for the first time we knew what the reason was. Kagome's purpose in these lands was done. So she went back to her home and stayed there. So we have to know the reason why she was able to come back here in the first place, and why she managed to do it again now."

Miroku seemed deep in thought. "I'm afraid the Well won't work for Inuyasha, no matter what…"

Inuyasha glared at the monk and growled. "What the _fuck_ are you saying, bouzu?! I WILL get her!"

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Inuyasha, calm down. All I meant was that it doesn't look like it will work for you… it might still work for Kagome though."

"Well, isn't that great? Now all we have to do is send her a letter explaining everything that happened and wait for her to jump down the Well. You're a really fucking genius, Miroku!" Inuyasha was pacing back and forth, his hands balled into fists. "How will she know she was wrong?! Why would she come back after what she saw?! That's just not happening and you know it! _I'm_ the one who has to go to _her_!"

#####

Kagome was taking deep breaths. She had been sitting on her bed for almost an hour, her mind on another era. On her intended mate.

 _I think I was wrong. I think I made the wrong decision. I have to, at least, be sure. But my heart says I was mistaken. I have to get back and talk to him. How could I've been so stupid? How will he ever forgive me for not giving him the benefit of the doubt? How could I question his love? I have to make it up to him… that is, if I can go back._

She hadn't tried the Well yet. She was afraid it wouldn't work and what she really didn't need at the moment was even more grief. So she stilled herself, trying to figure out the logics of the Well and what she could do if it didn't work. She couldn't come up with a solution. She had to try it, there was no other way. She felt sick just thinking about not being able to see Inuyasha again. And that would be even worse now that she was certain he wasn't lying to her. She couldn't let him live the rest of his life knowing she abandoned him, mistrusted him. She had been selfish and she would not forgive herself if she didn't make things right.

Since the damned Well was everything _but_ reliable, she decided to talk to her mom first, and also pack a few things. _Hey, if I'm successful, I'll be glad if I have some underwear. Besides, it will be easier to make Inuyasha forgive me if I bring some ramen._

She was feeling confident. She was counting on luck. She had to. There was no reason for her not to. It had worked twice now and she couldn't fathom the possibility of it _not_ working again. It would make no sense, so she decided to be sensible.

After a teary talk with her mother and a really heavy load of ramen hanging on her shoulders, she made her way to the Well with her Mama, _jii-chan_ and Sota.

She hugged them and said she loved them. She took a deep breath, said a little prayer and jumped.

#####

Inuyasha was sitting under Goshinboku, frowning and deep in thought. He was trying hard to come up with something other than jumping in the Well, which he had tried many, many times in the last two weeks, but nothing came to his mind. There was really no other way to get to Kagome. _Unless I wait 500 years… I would do that, I know I would. I would wait for her and I wouldn't betray her. If I have to, I'll wait._

But he didn't want to wait. He needed her. Ever since he met her, he hadn't learned how to live without her. He felt lost and empty even when she was in the other side of the Well and he could go get her anytime. The problem was that, because of his stubbornness, he wrestled with his needs and would always act like he didn't care. But those days apart from her were always the hardest ones for him and he would always act _particularly_ insolent around his friends during them. Sometimes he just pushed her away and made her go back home, because it would become unbearable for him to keep his hands away from her, _especially_ when she was in heat.

But those days were gone. He was an immature pup back then, but now he knew better and he didn't have to hide his feelings for her. It was okay to miss her.

He was still sulking when he felt him approaching and knew he was in trouble. There was no other way, he had to face him.

"Hey Inuyasha, what are you doing there? Where's Kagome? I went to the house but you guys weren't there…"

"Shippo, sit down."

"Oh no. What happened? What have you done? _Where is she?!_ " The kit sat and glared at Inuyasha.

"She is not here. She went… to her era."

Shippo stood up and shouted. "You _baka_! What did you do? How could you?!"

"Before I tell you, you should know Kikyo is the one to blame." In his heart, he didn't think it was the whole truth. He had as much guilt as she did, but his wasn't intentional. "She put a spell on me. Kagome saw us kissing."

"YOU WHAT?! She _saw_ that?! Oh my God, she's never coming back! How could you've been so stupid?!" Shippo was walking in circles with his paws pulling his bangs.

"Oi, stop calling me stupid! Like I said, I was under Kikyo's spell! I didn't know, if I did I would have sent the bitch to hell before she could lay her hands on me!"

"You're still stupid. And I hate you! Inuyasha _no baka_ , Inuyasha _no baka_! Inuyasha _no baka_!"

Shippo ran away from him as he shouted the insults.

 _Great, one more person to the 'I hate Inuyasha' list._

He laid on the grass and stared at the Sacred Tree's branches. The leaves were dancing with the wind and he closed his eyes. _I don't care how many people hate me. I hate myself enough._

Inuyasha sniffed the air and quickly opened his eyes. And just like that last time, he knew what that meant.

This time, he didn't wait for her to climb her way up.

Kagome was still crying and at the same time laughing to herself, filled with joy and hope, after seeing the bright sky above her, when she felt arms surrounding her, hugging her so tightly she could hardly breathe. She held a breath and then she was flying out of the Well. Her bag dropped on the ground and, almost immediately, she was leaping in the air, bouncing from tree to tree.

"Inuyasha, let me go! Where are you taking me?!"

She tried her best to sound serious, but she was so completely happy to be back, in his arms, that she didn't care. She only wanted to be close to him.

He didn't answer and she didn't ask again. He moved them to the ground and started running, now carrying her bridal style, only stopping at a clearing, after what seemed like hours. He was still holding her when they stopped, and he took a deep breath before slowly lowering her down and taking a step back, looking at her eyes.

"Kagome, you have to listen to me. Please promise me you will." His face was dead serious, so much that it gave her the chills.

"Okay. But first, explain why you brought me here."

"Because I can't risk losing you again. I can't let you go through that fucking Well again. I _won't_ let you, no matter what you say or do. Now please, listen to me."

His eyes and voice were pleading, desperately, and she didn't dare say no. So she nodded and sat on the grass. He sat in front of her, his legs crossed, looking intensely at her eyes and started talking.

"Kikyo put a spell on me." He ignored Kagome's gasp and continued. "Miroku figured it out after you left. She admitted when I confronted her. She wanted to separate us and then she would take me to hell, since she knew she couldn't do it with you around. So she told me she was not giving up, not even after I told her I would kill her before she touched me again."

Kagome's mouth dropped when he said the "kill her" part, but she couldn't say a word.

"What you saw… it was not my fault, at least not directly. Her spell made me numb, unaware of what happened around me and it pulled me to her. I didn't even realize she was kissing me, not until I heard you. Before that, I just felt something was wrong and I tried pushing her away, but I didn't have control of my body. Only when I heard you I was able to snap out of it. So I ran after you, screaming your name… but it was too late. You were already gone." His ears drooped and he looked down.

Kagome was crying quietly. She was so relieved to hear him say those words. She was so happy to be _able_ to hear them. She had some serious miko work to do, to thank God for the blessing of a second chance. Her tears were never ending and, looking up after a moment, Inuyasha didn't know what was wrong. He hated seeing her cry and she knew it, so she did her best and stopped, wiping away the tears and smiling at him.

"Inuyasha, I'm _so_ sorry! Please forgive me!" She threw herself in his arms, knocking him on the grass. She was sobbing and laughing and he felt a helluva lot lighter. He had been carrying the burden for only a couple of weeks, but it was crushing his soul, not knowing if he was ever going to see her again and then not knowing if she was going to forgive him.

"Oi, wench, what are you talking about?! I'm the one who messed up, I'm the one who should be begging your forgiveness!" He tried sounding serious, but he just wanted to laugh with joy and relief. He hugged her back and smelled her hair, thinking how crazy he would get if he didn't smell it again.

She let him go and sat up again. He also sat, again facing her, and she took his hands, her smile now turned into a sad expression. She was staring at their hands, unable to look him in the eye.

"I shouldn't have left. I shouldn't have questioned your love for me. It's all my fault. If I had stayed and searched for answers, fought for you, we wouldn't have to go through all this. I was so stupid to even consider the thought of you not loving me, I can't believe I let myself think that."

"Kagome… it wasn't your fault. She is the only one to blame. But Kaede did say this spell only works on people who don't completely trust each other, people whose love isn't pure. We can't let that happen to us again and we can't live like that again. We have to promise each other, no more doubts. We can't let people like her come between us. What I feel about you… nothing compares to it, okay? Kikyo is _nothing_ to me, especially now that she's done this. It's always been you, only you. I _need_ you, do you understand that? Just please, don't leave me, if there's one thing in the world that will never change, is my love for you. Don't even question it. _Promise_ me that won't happen again. I promise you I won't let that happen."

She was still trying to stop her tears and her efforts of trying to wipe them were useless, so she just let them fall. He had never been so open with her, with anyone, actually. She knew it probably wasn't an easy thing for him to do and that he had suffered as much as she had in the past two weeks, if not more. "I promise."

He beamed at her and then took her on his lap. He looked at her with loving eyes, admiring the love of his life, the one whom he almost lost, many times. He wasn't going to go through that again.

She saw his soft and adoring gaze turn into passion, lust. She gasped when he kissed her, fiercely, his tongue slipping inside her mouth without warning, without waiting a second. His hands caressed her hair, while hers grabbed the back of his neck, bringing him closer.

He slowly laid her down, climbing on top of her, careful not to crush her with his weight, never breaking the kiss. It had transformed into the most erotic kiss she had ever experienced. It was extremely slow, almost controlled, strong, certain. She knew he was tasting her, trying to dominate her and feel her as much as possible. She was lost to a sensation she had never felt before that she thought she would faint, appreciating the fact he laid her down first. At that moment, she knew it was going to happen. They couldn't stop themselves anymore. They had denied each other, held themselves back for too long. They deserved this. They both wanted this more than anything.

Inuyasha was thinking the same thing. Actually, he thought about it for only a second, since he couldn't manage to think about something other than Kagome's body, her warmth, her scent, her taste. He started unbuttoning her blouse and gave up after only a couple of seconds, ripping the piece of clothing with his claws. He broke the kiss and quickly removed her skirt, pulling it down her legs. While he did that, Kagome removed his _haori_ and undershirt. Before she got to his _hakama_ , he was untying its ties and then it was gone, sitting on the grass with the rest of their clothing.

LEMON

Her underwear was also shredded and she didn't care, and not because she had brought many others with her, but because she was also in a hurry, in a trance that didn't allow her to think things through. His _fundoshi_ was the last one to go and she removed it with shaking hands, while he leaned his head back, groaning with the feeling of her hands near his erection.

She gulped when she saw his size and a sudden fear went through her. She had felt it before, but seeing it in front of her, standing upright and hard as a rock had surprised her. He noticed the change in her scent and looked at her worryingly.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong with me?" He looked crushed and she rubbed her hands up and down his arms, reassuring him.

"No, no! I'm sorry. I just didn't expect it to be that… big."

His face relaxed and he smiled shyly, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I think it will be ok. I'll be gentle and if you want me to stop, say it, okay?"

She smiled and nodded. She knew it would be painful, but she knew the pain would be over and that, later, she would never regret it.

He smiled back and leaned on top of her again, resuming their passionate kiss, and her fear completely disappeared with it. He could smell her arousal again and he almost let out a sigh of relief. His hands touched her breasts, softly at first, and then his grip tightened. He was trying his best not to take her at once, but it was getting near impossible, feeling her whole naked body against his. He kissed her throat, made his way to her breasts and began sucking her nipples fervently.

She moaned and arched her back. Her sounds were making him harder, and the tip of his cock was brushing against her wet core, making them both feel like they were going crazy. She thought she couldn't get more excited, and then she felt his cock throb on her thigh. He let go of her breasts, resting his hands on the sides of her head, and looked her in the eye.

"Kagome, look at me."

She opened her eyes and he cupped her cheek with one hand.

"Tell me you want this."

She gulped seeing the intensity of his stare. "I want this, Inuyasha."

He smiled and entered her, slowly. They both moaned loudly and he stopped when he felt her barrier. She nodded at him and he pushed forward, breaking it. She screamed in pain and he flinched. He stopped moving and was watching her closely, waiting for her reaction. Her eyes were closed and, after a few seconds, the pained expression on her face was gone. She smiled at him.

"I'm okay now."

He smiled back and started moving, slowly. After a few seconds, he couldn't hold it back and moved faster, harder. She was moaning and he thought she was enjoying it as much as he was. In truth, she was feeling pain. It was tolerable, but it wasn't pleasant. She knew it wasn't his fault and she knew it would probably take her a while to enjoy it, especially because of his size. But she wanted nothing more than to please him, make him happy, make him feel loved. So she didn't say anything, she dug her nails on his back and closed her eyes.

"Kagome, open your eyes, please. I wanna see you."

She obeyed and smiled at him. There was so much love in his eyes, and passion and care. She knew she couldn't deny him anything and she was happy to realize that. He was her world and she was more than okay with that.

She started enjoying the act a little more after relaxing, and she thought she was _really_ starting to like it. But, before she could lose herself in pleasure, he let out a loud groan and stopped moving. She felt him stiffen. She was distracted with the feeling of something warm fill her, so she let out a loud scream when his fangs pierced her skin. He had bit her neck, the part right beside her shoulder. She hadn't seen it, but he had bit his bottom lip first, to mix their blood. He licked the punctures, healing them and apologizing, and she knew he was done. He collapsed beside her, dragging her with him, holding her to him. She rested her cheek on his chest, listening to his heart. He was still panting and brushing her hair with his fingers.

It hadn't last long. He tried holding back, but how could he? He had waited so many years, he had longed for her for too long. She knew it would get better, she knew they would learn to please each other with time and, thanks to her modern era upbringing, she knew she would feel as much pleasure as he did. Right now, she was happy to just have him and to be his.

It didn't matter. They were mates now.


	14. Chapter 14 - Visit

Chapter 14 - Visit

It was almost dawn when the newly mated couple woke up. Inuyasha was still holding Kagome, who rested her cheek on his bare chest. He woke up first, careful not to move. He smiled when he thought about his current situation.

 _Keh! Now who would've guessed? The lowly, disgusting hanyou has gotten himself a mate. And not just any mate. Kagome, for fuck's sake!_

Kagome started stirring and raised her head to look at him. Greeting him with a small but warm smile, he couldn't hold the beam forming on his face.

"Hey."

"Hi."

They didn't say another word for quite a while, just holding each other. She was stroking his chest, moving her hand up and down, relishing in the feeling of his muscular body. He had his nose buried in her hair, running his claws through it. When the sun was nearly gone, they stood up, got dressed and headed home. Since her clothes had been ruined by someone's claws, she wore Inuyasha's haori, producing a make-shift dress.

Kagome was in Inuyasha's back, smiling and nuzzling his neck. It was driving him crazy, not being able to do anything other than just squeezing her thighs in response and he couldn't wait to get home. He knew she was aroused as well, he could smell it, and it took all of his will power to not stop and take her in the forest again.

Once they got to their house, Kagome went inside and told him to go get her bag at the Well. He went and got back in a heartbeat, and was confused when he noticed she had locked the front door. He knocked and shouted her name.

"Oi, Kagome! What the hell?! Why did you lock me out?!"

"Just hang on for a second, please."

He dropped her bag with a huff and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Then he realized she was probably cleaning up and getting ready for another "round". He was smirking when she finally appeared and he instantly frowned when he saw her fully dressed. She smiled at him and took his hand, closing the door and heading to the village, but he immediately stopped her, pulling her to him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To the village, of course. To tell the others I'm back."

"The hell you are! No, we are staying here, they can have you tomorrow."

"Inuyasha, don't be greedy. They are probably worried about me, we have to go there now. Come on, it won't take long, and then we can come back home and…"

His eyes widened when she stopped talking and his heart skipped a beat. "And what?!"

She winked and took his hand again, dragging him to the village. He stopped her again. "Tell me, wench! And then what?" He knew what this was about, he just wanted to tease her back and make her say it.

Kagome sighed. "You know what it is and I'm not saying it. Just shut up and walk."

He rolled his eyes and they finally left.

As expected, Kagome's reunion with her friends was emotional for all parties involved. Inuyasha just stood at the entrance of Sango and Miroku's hut, leaning on the wall and scowling. He would occasionally grunt or make a rude comment about "mushy people", but he knew how much their friends had missed her and how scared they were, to think they might never see her again, so he just let them be. After all, he knew what their feelings were all too well, for he had felt them recently and with much more intensity.

They had told them about their mating, leaving out the fact that they had done it in the forest, on the grass. Inuyasha felt bad about it, but he knew he couldn't have done it differently. He had imagined it happening at their house, on their bed, the way Kagome deserved, not like some kind of rutting animal. He knew she wasn't upset by it, that she also felt the need to do it right then, not being able to wait another minute, but he still felt as if he had failed her somehow. And he had vowed to do everything he could to make her life with him as comfortable as hers in the future, doing absolutely everything he could to make her happy.

He decided it was just another reason to, in someway, compensate Kagome.

After finally catching up and reassuring everyone, especially Shippo, that she was not leaving again, they set off to their house. But before they left, Inuyasha had to convince Kagome to leave Shippo with Sango and Miroku. The kit had thrown a tantrum, hugging Kagome's leg tightly, saying he couldn't trust Inuyasha, that he had to be with her to make sure he wouldn't screw up and push her away again. The kitsune had ignored the hanyou the whole night, and he knew it would take some time to get the kit's trust back.

Inuyasha offered his back to Kagome and they got to the house quickly.

He had been waiting and thinking about that moment since they woke up in the clearing. Still, when they finally entered the house, he got nervous suddenly. It had been fairly easy the first time, undressing themselves and mating. He was too caught up with his desire to be embarrassed and think things through. Now he was a little self-conscious and didn't know how to act.

"So… should we go to bed…?" He asked her, _really_ not knowing what to do.

She smiled when she saw how uncomfortable he was. It was adorable, seeing how that man, er, hanyou, who had mated with her just a few hours ago was now acting as if they hadn't even had their first kiss. He was a little relieved to see her smile and he could tell she was not as embarrassed as him.

"Yes, we should." She took his hand and led him to their little haven.

She sat on the bed and he followed her movements with his eyes. She started unbuttoning her blouse and he goggled at her forwardness. He was definitely not expecting this, but his shock turned into excitement very quickly and he started taking off his undershirt.

She gulped when she saw him taking his clothes off. She didn't plan this through, she just felt bold when she saw him so unsure of himself. But seeing him get back to his predatory gaze, she felt a little weird, until a thought came to her mind.

 _We are mates now._

That had put her mind at ease. Remembering everything they had gone through the last four years, how much they loved each other, how they had expressed that love in the past few weeks, especially a few hours ago, made her realize he was her everything and that she shouldn't feel embarrassed around him. They had their house, they were practically married, they had nothing to fear, not when it came to their feelings. So she took her clothes off, looking at him, smiling, and then laid on the bed, their bed.

He was too stunned to react. He had never seen her like that, completely naked and completely in front of him. Not even when they made love, he wasn't in the right position to take a good peek. So he didn't even notice when she, after noticing he was not moving, got up and took his hand, moving them to the bed.

She laid on her back again and pulled his hand, so that he could lay next to her. She turned to her side and started caressing his face, pushing his bangs to the sid to look at his beautiful amber eyes. He could see the love and the lust in her eyes and it was becoming easier to just stay like that with her, looking at her and letting her look at him. He took his hakama off, earning a surprised look from her, who also didn't get to take a good look at that part of him. He tried suppressing his laugh, but couldn't help letting out a small chuckle. She looked at him and glared mockingly. They both smiled and visibly relaxed. With a sigh, he leaned and kissed her.

Kagome was so happy that she thought she was going to interrupt the kiss just to laugh out loud. She managed to let go of that thought when she felt his hand rest on her hip, timidly, but still causing a strong reaction in her. Her desire for him quickly heightened and he was relieved to smell it so strongly, so he pushed her to him and she could feel the moist in her core increasing immediately when she felt his erection on her belly.

LEMON

Inuyasha was too drunk in her scent and the feel of her body to remember to be embarrassed now. He pushed her shoulders, so that she could lay on her back and she didn't even see how fast things were going until he was on top of her, opening her legs with his knee. He was almost entering her when she pushed him on his chest.

"Wait, wait."

Inuyasha looked at her, confused. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no… it's just… we don't have to be fast. You can take your time, I'm not going anywhere", she said with a smile. She knew she had to be subtle about sex talk. She didn't want to emasculate him and she didn't want him to think she wasn't enjoying it. Fortunately, he smiled and nodded.

"I know, I was just so… ready, you know? Okay, let's take it slow then."

He decided to just hover over her, kiss her and fondle her breasts, trying his best not to take her at once, trying to concentrate on her pleasure instead of his own. He knew he had a lot to learn and he wanted to be sure he was doing the right things for her.

Kagome was rubbing his back when he moved his mouth from her neck to her nipple. She gasped, feeling an urgent desire, and grabbed his cock with one hand, caressing the tip with her thumb. He let go of her nipple and gasped out loud, leaning his forehead on hers. She smiled at his reaction and, when he regained his composure, he looked at her and smirked.

"You are one sneaky woman, do you know that?"

"Are you saying I'm not allowed to do that?" She said, feigning innocence.

"Not at all", he said seriously, before taking her nipple in his mouth again.

She started moaning, moving her hand up and down his length, while he was almost reaching his limit. The scent of her arousal was enough to make him go over the edge, but with her hands on him and the feel of her breasts and her moans, it was almost unbearable. He stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

"Is it still too soon?"

She smiled at his preoccupied frown. "No, it's okay now."

With a smile he positioned himself at her entrance and slowly filled her up, reaching his hilt. They both moaned loudly and then he stopped, trying to concentrate on her again, since he was already too far gone to last more than a few thrusts.

He began to move slowly, steadily, and the rhythm was driving her crazy. She knew he was doing it for her and it pleased her greatly to know he was so concerned about her pleasure. She quietly asked him to go faster and pushed her hips forward, making him groan in approval. He picked up speed and his thrusts were faster, but still steady, making her moan in pleasure constantly.

Inuyasha tried to prolong it, but he couldn't hold it any longer. When he finally decided to let go he felt her walls draining him and he came violently, screaming her name and then burying his face in her hair. She screamed his name as well, not as loudly, but she was more than satisfied and it was definitely better than their first time. He licked his mark on her neck and she felt herself melting. He laid beside her, bringing her to rest her head on his chest and their legs intertwined. They both fell asleep contently, completely exhausted and feeling whole again.

END OF LEMON

#####

They were greeted by sunrays the next morning and Kagome was the first one to wake up. She was facing Inuyasha's chest and the first thing she did after seeing it was smile. She couldn't think of a time when she felt happier. She looked at his face and he was in a deep sleep, with a relaxed expression. She beamed at the sight, not only because he was the one she loved, but because she knew he almost never slept that well and it was good knowing he could do that with her.

She tried moving away from him, feeling the need to use the bathroom, but his hold on her was too possessive. After trying for a couple of minutes she succeeded and realized how exhausted he was. She felt bad thinking about how much he must've suffered after she left.

 _I don't think he slept that much when I was away… maybe didn't even slept at all. I'll never let that happen to us again, we can't let anything do that to us, we are stronger than this._

After returning from the bathroom Kagome saw that he was still sleeping, but he was now mumbling something, a frown stapled on his face.

"Ka…gome… no… don't…"

Her heart clenched. She knew he was probably having nightmares and she almost cried seeing how desperate he looked and sounded. She ran to the bed and laid beside him, putting his arms around her and smoothing his back, whispering.

"I'm here, I'm not leaving."

His frown slowly disappeared and the mumblings stopped, and he went back to a peaceful sleep.

A couple of hours later, after finally waking up and yawning, Inuyasha smiled at the woman in his arms, staring at him.

"Good morning."

"Good morning. Should I make breakfast or lunch?" She asked with a smile.

"Ha ha, very funny, wench. It's your fault I slept that much. But I am hungry."

"Alright, I'll make us something." She was moving to the opposite side of the bed when he pulled her back by her arm, trapping her under him.

"Can you stay a little longer?" He said, with a shy smile.

"I don't know, I don't want you to starve…"

"Quit teasing me, woman! Come here." He nuzzled her neck and she shivered. It excited her greatly, to see how much he enjoyed her scent. When he started licking her neck she knew they were definitely skipping breakfast.

#####

Sango had never seen someone so starved. Inuyasha was not even tasting the food, just swallowing it, grunting. She was staring at him with wide eyes and Kagome held a chuckle when she saw both Sango and Miroku looking shocked with his behavior.

"Inuyasha, manners," she said sternly.

He took his face out of the bowl and looked at her, surprised. "What?"

"You're being impolite. Stop slurping and chew the food before swallowing it!"

"Keh! Nothing wrong in liking the food."

Sango smiled. "That's alright, Inuyasha. We are just surprised to see how hungry you are, that's all."

Miroku smiked. "Yes, Kagome, I wonder why is Inuyasha starving… what could he have done to be in such a state?"

Kagome blushed and Inuyasha hid his smile inside his bowl. _Finally the lecher's comments no longer affect me._

#####

It had been a week since they had become mates. Life was blissful and they were slowly getting used to the fact that they now could express their feelings for the other whenever they wanted, however they wanted.

Kagome was happy to live her life in the village's outskirts, cooking, cleaning, gardening and helping Kaede with her miko's duties. She had her house, her friends and the only person she could not live without: her mate.

Whenever someone caught a glimpse of Inuyasha they would see him relaxed, smiling. When he looked at Kagome, the look of true love and happiness was plastered on his face and when she smiled he smiled as well, dumbly. Everyone could see how happy and in love they were and everyone was happy for them. The whole village had seen Inuyasha's misery both times Kagome was gone and they wanted to see their protector happy.

One day, they received an unexpected guest. Inuyasha was out hunting and Kagome was inside the house, cooking rice and vegetables. Shippo had finally joined them and was now excited about dinner.

"Hey, Kagome. Do you think you can make me some pocky?"

"Pocky? Shippo, I can't make it, I don't know the recipe and I certainly don't have the ingredients. I'm sorry", she said, apologetic.

"It's okay. So I guess you really can't go back to your era now, can ya?"

Kagome looked forlorn. "I don't know. It didn't work for three years, for either of us. And then it did, for me, twice. Inuyasha couldn't go through… but I don't know if it will work for me again and I'm not sure I want to try it."

"Yeah, don't try your luck! Just stay here with us, I can live without pocky."

"Good to know", she said with a smile.

There was a knock on the door and they both startled.

"Shippo, can you answer the door for me? It's probably Sango or Miroku."

"Sure."

Shippo opened the door and took a step back. Kagome noticed the silence and looked up.

"S-Sesshoumaru?!" Kagome said with a gasp.

"Hello, wench. Where is the half-breed?" He asked, stoically as ever.

Kagome was still gasping when a short human jumped behind Sesshoumaru.

"Kagome-sama! Shippo-chan! How are you?" Rin asked with a bright smile.

"Rin! It's good to see you. You look so grown up! We are fine, thank you," Kagome said.

The girl smiled. " Thank you, Kagome-sama! It's good to see you too."

"So, where is Inuyasha?"

"He's… he's hunting. Why do you ask, Sesshoumaru?"

"I wish to speak with him, of course."

"O-Okay… well, why don't you two take a seat while you wait for him? He'll probably come back soon."

"Rin, you may stay here if you wish. I will wait for Inuyasha outside." Sesshoumaru said and left the house without waiting for the girl's answer.

Kagome, still shocked, gestured for Rin to sit on the futon and only then noticed Shippo was missing.

"Hm, Rin, did you see where Shippo went?"

"No, I didn't, Kagome-sama."

"Oh well, he'll be back for dinner anyways. So, how's life been in the castle? I was disappointed to know you left right before I came back. Did you not like living with Kaede?"

"Oh no, Kagome-sama! I liked living with Kaede-sama very much! But Sesshoumaru-sama told me I had lived here enough time, so he said it was time for me to go home. But I was also glad to go, I missed Sesshoumaru-sama! And Master Jaken too!"

Kagome smiled at the girl's innocence and cheerful attitude. "It's good to know you're happy, Rin. By the way, where is Jaken?"

"Oh, he's here! He's taking care of Ah-Un. Hey, Kagome-same, is it true you're Inuyasha-sama's mate now?"

"Yes, it's true."

"Oh, that's very good! I know you two like each other very much. He was really sad after you left. I'm very glad that you are back, Kagome-sama!"

"Thank you, Rin, that's very kind of you", Kagome said with a smile. "Inuyasha's bringing the meat, but would you like to eat some rice and vegetables while we wait?"

"Yes, please, Kagome-sama! I've had a lot of meat during our trip here, but I miss eating rice!"

Kagome nodded and stood up to get a bowl for the young girl.

Meanwhile, Shippo was running like mad while sniffing the air, looking for Inuyasha. He nearly froze when he saw Sesshoumaru standing at his home's door, but quickly darted out of the house when he thought about how vulnerable they were. He didn't like leaving Kagome alone, but Inuyasha had just left before Sesshoumaru got there, so he needed to make sure their guardian was there as quickly as possible.

He finally smelled Inuyasha, who was about to catch a second rabbit for dinner.

"INUYASHA!"

"DAMMIT, SHIPPO! Why did you do that?!" The rabbit had escaped and Inuyasha sighed.

"It's Kagome! Se-"

Before he could finish, Inuyasha dropped his dead rabbit and disappeared from the kit's sight.

Inuyasha reached his house in under a minute, running like he had never done before. All he could think about during his run was how he wouldn't allow something or someone to take Kagome away from him again.

Inuyasha spotted Sesshoumaru and was about to pounce on him, yelling, when Kagome went outside.

"Inuyasha, calm down!" She had sensed her mate's distressed and was already reaching the door when she heard him scream. "Everything's fine, your brother just wants to talk to you!"

Inuyasha didn't stop, he just changed direction. He took Kagome in his arms, dragging her inside the house. She didn't have a chance to resist and didn't want to, she knew he needed to make sure she was fine. Once inside, Inuyasha didn't let her go and hugged her, patting her head and back, making sure she was not hurt.

"You're okay, you're okay…" he chanted, reassuring himself.

"Yes, nothing happened, we are okay", she said, rubbing his back.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and finally acknowledged Rin. He nodded at her and took Kagome's hand, leading her out.

"What the HELL are you doing here, bastard?!" He secured Kagome behind his back and glared at the daiyokai.

"It's a pleasure seeing you too, little brother."

"It's never a pleasure seeing you, shit head. What do you want?"

"I came here so that Rin could visit her friends. She missed them and I took the opportunity to check my lands and to also have a word with you. I see you took this human as a mate," he said, gesturing to Kagome.

"Yes, proudly. Why? This doesn't concern you." Kagome smiled at his praise and leaned her forehead on his back, silently thanking and supporting him.

"Why? Have you forgotten where you came from, half-breed? You are the heir to the Western Lands, _my_ lands, so when you take a mate, she becomes an heir as well. Therefore, it _is_ of my concern who you take as a mate, little brother."

"Keh! I don't give a fuck about 'your' lands! I never did and they were never mine and you know that! So you can take your precious lands and shove 'em-"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome interjected.

"You see, Inuyasha, you should have asked for my consent before you took anyone as your mate, _especially_ a human. Now that it is done, I could punish you for it, but, since you hold no position in the royal court, it is useless."

Inuyasha was looking really pissed, but didn't raise his voice. "So what the fuck do you want, Sesshoumaru? Did you come all this way just to nag me about some useless royal rule? Go fuck yourself, I don't have time for this, I'm hungry and, thanks to your fucking scary face, I have to go hunting again. So fuck off." Inuyasha looked exhausted, probably emotionally drained after fearing for her safety, Kagome thought. She didn't even have the heart to scold him for his language; she just patted his hand and spoke to Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru, what is it that you want?"

Sesshoumaru remained calm through Inuyasha's tirade and answered Kagome. "I just came to inform him that I have an intended mate and, therefore, I will produce an heir soon, making him third in line."

Inuyasha raised a brow. "An intended, huh? So what, I don't get the throne, buah buah. Is that all, can you leave now?"

Sesshoumaru looked like he was about to say something else, but refrained himself. Kagome almost asked what was it, since he looked a little troubled, but he stopped her before she could say a word.

"Yes, my work here in done. Rin, let's go. Jaken is waiting for us by the river."

"Ha! So who is the unlucky female, bastard? Or is it not a female? Is it Jaken?"

Kagome quickly interfered. "Sesshoumaru, wait. Rin is hungry and she didn't get to eat anything. Can't you wait, for her to have dinner?"

Inuyasha glared at her. "What the fuck? He's not staying in my house!"

"Inuyasha…"

"That's alright, woman. Rin can eat in your house. I will wait here. I do not eat anyway."

"O-Okay… come on Rin, let's go inside."

Shippo appeared from the woods carrying two dead rabbits. "Hey, Kagome. Inuyasha dropped his rabbit, so I got another one and brought them. Is… everything alright?"

"Yes, runt. Good job. Come on, let's have dinner."

Kagome looked around to tell Sesshoumaru he could come inside even if he didn't eat, but he was gone. The remaining group entered the house and ate their dinner in silence. They took Rin to the door afterwards and Sesshoumaru was waiting for her right outside, Ah-Un and Jaken in tow. Rin waved and thanked them for dinner and they left.

"You know, you didn't have to be so rude today, especially in front of Rin", Kagome said when they were in their room, getting ready for bed.

"Keh! I was kind enough. Rude would be to cut off his other arm!"

"You didn't have to say 'fuck' so much…"

Inuyasha looked at her with wide eyes.

"What?"

"You never curse…"

"I didn't curse, I just quoted you."

"Doesn't matter, you said 'fuck'. I liked it", he said with a smirk.

"You did, huh? If that does it for you…" she said, nonchalantly.

Inuyasha laughed. "It's… interesting, seeing you act a little…"

"Dirty?" She asked, blushing.

"Yeah", he said, looking down.

"Okay… good to know. Now it's bedtime, dog boy."

"I like it when you say that too", he said, beaming.


End file.
